The Memories That Never Were
by Kiara-Zzyopen
Summary: Buffy remembers Dawn Dawn remembers Buffy. But it's all a lie and are fake memories really enough? Tells the tale of seasons 1 thru 5 but with Dawn.
1. Memories

**A/N:** Hello and welcome to my story. It contains spoilers for everything up to S5 of Buffy, but pretty much everything has some kind of twist. In this fic, Dawn is your average little sister, a total brat who will always come through if you are in trouble. Thank you for reading my ramble, and I hope you enjoy the story.  
  
**N/B**: Each **x ♥ x** means a 'new' part in the story or a break in the story. Buffy is six years older than Dawn, I think that's right from the show, but if it isn't then that is the way I'm keeping it.  
  
**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own any of the characters. I used scripts from 'studies in words', but they have been altered to how I want them to be.  
  
**THE MEMORIES THAT NEVER WERE by Kiara**  
  
Buffy hurried away from the collapsing factory, dragging the monk behind her.  
  
"Stop. Please." He begged.  
  
"No. We have to keep going." Buffy commanded.  
  
"My journey's done, I think." The monk said as he stumbled against the fence.  
  
"Don't get metaphory on me. We're going." Buffy said trying to lift the monk again.  
  
"You have to. . . the Key. You must protect the Key." He stammered.  
  
"Fine. We can protect the Key together, okay, just far, far from here." Buffy shot a worried look behind her; there was nothing coming...yet.  
  
"Many more die if you don't keep it safe."  
  
"How? What is it?"  
  
"The Key is energy. It's a portal. It opens the door. . ."  
  
"The Dagon Sphere?"  
  
"No. For centuries it had no form at all. My brethren, its only keepers. Then the abomination found us. We had to hide the Key, gave it form, molded it flesh. . . made it human and sent it to you."  
  
"Dawn..." Realization sank in.  
  
"She's the Key."  
  
"You put that in my house?" Buffy said disgusted.  
  
"We knew the Slayer would protect."  
  
"My memories. . . my mom's?"  
  
"We built them." The monk admitted.  
  
"Then un-build them! This is my life you're—"Buffy started angrily.  
  
"You cannot abandon." The monk said in between coughs. He wouldn't last much longer.  
  
"I didn't ask for this! I don't even know. . . what is she?" The anger had gone and was replaced with confusion.  
  
"Human... now human. And helpless. Please. . . she's an innocent in this. She needs you. "  
  
"She's not my sister?"  
  
"She doesn't know that." Were his last words.  
  
Buffy sank back stunned. She remembered all of it; Dawn's birth, her first day at school and everything since then. But it never happened. Her entire life wasn't as she remembered it. Nothing was the same.  
  
**x ♥ x**  
  
"Hello?" Someone called as the front door opened.  
  
"Mommy, Daddy!" A six-year-old Buffy ran towards her parents, depositing he doll on her little table as she went. "You're back! You're back!"  
  
"Hello, Buffy." Joyce Summers said softly, carrying her precious bundle close.  
  
"How's my girl?" The 'proud papa' leant down to his first born who beamed up at him.  
  
"Are you ready to meet your new baby sister?" Joyce was surprised to see Buffy's smile vanish. Instead she backed up and folded her arms across he chest defensively.  
  
"Oh, come on now, Buffy. She's nothing to be afraid of."  
  
"Who's afraid?" She said sullenly; some thing will never change.  
  
"Don't you want to be the big sister?" Joyce enquired puzzled. This wasn't like Buffy at all.  
  
"No, I want to be the baby." The little girl replied stubbornly.  
  
"Buffy." Hank Summers begun.  
  
"You're gonna pay more attention to her and forget all about me!"  
  
"Ohh. . ." Joyce understood her daughter's uncharacteristic behavior. Still, she put the new baby in Buffy's arms and watched as the little bundle gurgled up at her big sister. "Like this . . . okay, support the head . . . there you go! We're calling her Dawn."  
  
"I . . . I could be the one to look after her sometimes . . . if you need a helper. Mom? Can I take care of her?" Buffy asked looking up at her mother.  
  
Joyce stoked her daughter's hair, never feeling prouder of the little girl. "Yes, Buffy, you can take care of her."  
  
**x ♥ x**  
  
"Buf-fy." The blond haired girl sat cross-legged over from her little sister.  
  
"Buh- Buh- Buh." The baby chanted to her big sister.  
  
"No; Buf-fy." Buffy repeated patiently.  
  
"Buf- Buf- Buf-ee" Dawn giggled.  
  
Buffy leapt up, a big grin on her face. "Mom! Mom; she did it! She said it!"  
  
**x ♥ x**  
  
"...Happy birthday to Buffy; happy birthday to you!" Everyone cheered as the birthday girl blew out her candles. Joyce handed Buffy a piece of her cake and than passed bit round to the guests.  
  
"What did you wish for?" A childish voice asked.  
  
Buffy sighed. Sometimes her sister could be so stupid. "I can't tell you or it won't come true."  
  
Dawn scrunched up her face and Buffy prepared for the crying. Luckily she was saved by her mother.  
  
"Dawnie! Do you want some of Buffy's birthday cake?"  
  
Dawn tottered off to where her mom was calling from, leaving Buffy to play with her new Barbie dream house.  
  
A moment later, there was a crash followed by a wail. What had she done now?  
  
This time, she had tripped over Buffy's new roller-skates, bumped into their aunt and fallen right onto the birthday cake. Now Dawn was crying her little eyes out while Joyce tried to scrape the cake off her dress.  
  
It was safe to say the cake was a goner. Not even the vanilla sponge foundations of the pink castle cake remained in tack. Disaster Dawn had struck again.  
  
**x ♥ x**  
  
"I don't wanna go! I wanna stay with you!" Dawn wailed clutching at her mothers legs.  
  
"Dawn, you're a big girl now." Joyce Summers said firmly. "And big girls go to kindergarten."  
  
Dawn said something muffled against her mothers skirt and Buffy sighed dramatically from where she was watching the scene unfold by the door.  
  
"What was that honey?"  
  
"I don't want you to leave me." Dawn sobbed.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'll be good, I promise, don't leave me here!"  
  
"I'm not going to leave you! I'll be back really soon to pick you up."  
  
"Really? But Buffy said that the naughty girls go to kindergarten when their mom's and dad's don't want them anymore."  
  
"Oh she did, did she?" Joyce glared at Buffy who was sideling out the door and back to the car. Stupid little sister's who can't keep their mouth's shut.  
  
Joyce turned back to her youngest daughter. "I promise I'll be here when the little hand on the clock points at the two. Cross my heart."  
  
Dawn wiped her hands across her eyes and observed the clock closely. She nodded at her mother.  
  
"Good girl; now why don't you go and play with Amber? Bye, sweetheart." She placed a kiss on the top of Dawn's head as she ran off to play with Amber, a little girl who lived a couple of doors down from them.  
  
Joyce watched her for a moment before striding out to the car where her eldest daughter was fearing her arrival.  
  
**x ♥ x**  
  
"Buffy has a boyfriend, Buffy has a boyfriend, Buffy has a boyfriend, Buffy has a boyfriend!" Dawn sung at the top of her lungs as she skipped towards the shopping mall.  
  
"I do not!" Buffy hissed. At seven years old, Dawn was fast becoming the most annoying sister in the world.  
  
"Buffy has a boyfriend, Buffy has a boyfriend!"  
  
"Dawn; if you don't shut up right now then you are never coming out with me ever again!"  
  
Dawn sulked. Her mom would never let her go out on her own and said she couldn't force Buffy to take her shopping or to the park or wherever.  
  
Buffy suddenly stopped in her tracks and groaned. "Oh no!"  
  
"Buffy! Hi! Oh my God; I was just thinking about you!" A bouncy red head proclaimed. "I was talking to Tyler and- who's that?"  
  
Dawn raised one eyebrow. "I'm Dawn, Buffy's my sister."  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes but didn't bother to correct her sister. "What did Tyler say? He's a total dish!"  
  
Dawn started humming the tune to 'Buffy's got a boyfriend' under her breath, but stopped at her sister's glare. Instead she wandered off to look in the shop window next to them leaving Buffy to her conversation about the 'totally dreamy Tyler'.  
  
A couple of minutes later, Buffy realized that Dawn wasn't standing next to her anymore. "Dawn? Dawn!? Where are you? Dawnie?"  
  
She went cold all over. Her mom had warned her to keep an eye on her little sister all the time; the little brat spent half of her time in dreamland totally disconnected from real life. And now she had looked away for two minutes and Dawn was no where to be seen.  
  
"Did you see where she went?" Buffy's friend just looked confused. "My sister, she was standing right here..."  
  
"Oh yeah; where'd she go?"  
  
"I don't know!" Buffy said, frantically scanning the area for signs of Dawn.  
  
She dashed over to the ice cream stand. "Excuse me, have you seen my sister? She's seven, about this tall, has brown hair?"  
  
"No, sorry." The attendant drawled, obviously uninterested.  
  
Buffy had always been a fast runner, now she was using her skills to dash over the court where they had been sitting. But this was LA; there were god knows how many people milling about the mall.  
  
Buffy spotted a brunette girl and ran over. She grabbed her arm and swung her round, preparing to yell at he sister. But the girl had tiny brown eyes, not big blue ones. Buffy dropped her arm and muttered an apology before running off again. Her mom was going to kill her!  
  
"Buffy! Buffy!" She span round, hearing someone was calling her name.  
  
Thank God! Dawn was safely clutching the hand of a security guard, waving frantically at her big sister. Buffy ran over and hugged her sister.  
  
"Don't you ever scare me like that again!"  
  
"I'm sorry; I just went to look in the window and then when I came back you were gone!" Dawn wrapped her arms around Buffy's waist and looked up into her eyes. "I thought you'd left me."  
  
It was then Buffy noticed the other things about her sister. The teary eyes full of worry and the way she clutched her big sister tightly. "I would never leave you, I promise." She assured the younger girl before turning to the security guard. "Thank you sir."  
  
He smiled. "No worries; and you stay with your sister."  
  
Dawn nodded vigorously. "I will." She untangled herself from Buffy and gave him a quick hug. "Thank you."  
  
Surprise briefly flittered across the guards face before he patted Dawn on the head and walked off. Buffy wasn't really surprised though; Dawn had always been a huggy person.  
  
**x ♥ x**  
  
"Where is she?" Joyce paced up and down the living room. Hank Summers was sitting in one of the armchairs, his face hidden by the newspaper he was reading.  
  
"Relax, she's probably just talking to one of her friends." He said as he turned the page.  
  
"She should be back, its dark out and she knows I'm making dinner."  
  
"She'll be back soon, mom." Dawn said from where she was watching the TV.  
  
As if on cue, the front door creaked open. An orange streak ran past the door and upstairs. Joyce was right on its tail. "Buffy!"  
  
Dawn flicked off the TV and followed her mother upstairs. She saw Buffy go into her room and shrug off her bright orange jacket.  
  
"Why didn't you call me?"  
  
Buffy turned to face her mother, neither knowing about the little girl watching from the door frame.  
  
"I'm sorry. I-I didn't know it was so late. Tyler and I were talking.." Dawn could tell Buffy was lying; she was just so bad at it.  
  
Their mom exhaled slowly. "That boy is irresponsible."  
  
"No mom, "Buffy protested, "It's not his fault."  
  
Joyce looked her oldest daughter in the eye. "You know we worry, that's all." Buffy stayed silent and Joyce shrugged. "Dinner's in ten minutes."  
  
Dawn ducked into her parent's room as her mother walked past and back downstairs. When she was sure the coast was clear, she looked back into Buffy's room. It was empty. Dawn walked through the lilac room and peered into the bathroom. Buffy was looking into the mirror. She turned on the taps and began to scrub her hands.  
  
Dawn could hear her parents downstairs; she knew Buffy could hear them talking too.  
  
"Did she say where she was?" Their father asked.  
  
"She was with Tyler." Joyce responded, emotions hidden in her voice.  
  
"I don't want her seeing him anymore, period!" Hank raised his voice.  
  
"You're overreacting dear." Joyce soothed, but it only succeeded in getting her husband more irritated and their conversation escalated into a fight as it did so often these days.  
  
"Don't do that! Don't talk to me like I'm a kid!"  
  
"I don't! Just forget it!"  
  
Dawn watched Buffy look at herself in the mirror, her eyes beginning to glisten with tears.  
  
"Just because you can't discipline them, I have to be the ogre!" their father raged.  
  
"I am not having this conversation again, alright?" Joyce stormed off into the kitchen leaving her husband to drop back down into his arm chair and pick up his paper angrily.  
  
Buffy looked down from the mirror, fighting back the tears. She looked up sharply. "Come in Dawn."  
  
Dawn gaped. She hadn't made a sound, there was no way Buffy could have heard her there. "Why did you lie to mom?"  
  
"I-I didn't."  
  
"You did...did he hurt you?" Dawn asked quietly, looking at the bruise on her sister's chin.  
  
"No, he didn't." Buffy's voice was wavering slightly.  
  
"Then what's the matter, Buffy please, you're scaring me."  
  
Buffy let out a strangled sob. She slid down to the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees and let the tears fall. Dawn moved over and sat next to her sister. She wrapped her arms around her and stroked her long blond hair as she'd seen her mother do.  
  
"It'll be ok, Buffy." Dawn said, trying to imitate her mother's calm tone. "What?"  
  
Buffy was saying something, but it was too muffled for Dawn to make out. "No;" she repeated, "it won't. Why me? Why does it have to be me?"  
  
Buffy let the tears take over again leaving Dawn confused, but she figured that Buffy had just been dumped or something. She didn't normally get this upset over a guy though; it must be something really serious.  
  
**x ♥ x**  
  
"She burnt down the gymnasium?" Hank Summers yelled. "Why the hell did she do that?"  
  
"She thinks were vampires there." Joyce Summers said quietly, her tone clearly saying that she didn't believe Buffy's story.  
  
"She's gone too far this time!" He raged storming up the stairs.  
  
"Hank! Wait!" Joyce grabbed his arm. "I think she really believes in these...vampires. She's not herself, she keeps on crying."  
  
"She has to learn, Joyce." He said firmly.  
  
"What are you going to do?" Joyce asked, almost fearfully. Hank didn't reply, he just pulled his arm free and continued up the stairs. Joyce grabbed his shoulder and pulled him round forcefully. "She is fifteen years old, you can't hit her!"  
  
He didn't deny it. "She is my daughter too." He hissed turning to go back up the stairs. But what he saw had him frozen in his tracks.  
  
Buffy was standing at the top of the stairs, Dawn not far behind her. Buffy's face appeared to be blank, but her eyes were swirling with emotion; confusion, hurt, uncertainty, fear... Behind her, Dawn looked a mix of being afraid of her father and shocked at him apparently wanting to hit Buffy.  
  
Buffy turned and fled into her bedroom. "Buffy, come back here." Her father growled. Dawn backed up against the wall. She'd never seen her father act this way before and it scared her.  
  
"No!" Joyce grabbed her husband one last time.  
  
"Get Off!" He yelled and swung around knocking Joyce to the ground.  
  
"Mom!" A crying Dawn rushed over to he mother who was sitting up holding a hand to her cheek.  
  
"You hit me." She stated surprised.  
  
Hank just stared in horror at his wife in his little girl's embrace. "God, Joyce, I'm so sorry." He said in a cracked and broken voice.  
  
Not long later, Buffy heard a timid knocking on her door. She opened it cautiously and was surprised to see Dawn standing there clutching a stuffed bunny to her chest with a tear streaked face.  
  
"He hit Mom." She sniffed.  
  
Buffy's eyes went wide. "W-what?"  
  
"Dad. He was really mad and Mom tried to stop him and he hit her."  
  
"No." She said disbelievingly. "Where is he now?"  
  
Dawn sniffed loudly. "Downstairs, talking with Mom. What's gonna happen?"  
  
"I don't know. Did he do it on purpose?"  
  
"I don't know. I don't think so. Can I say with you?"  
  
Buffy nodded wordlessly and stood aside to let Dawn enter. She did so and flopped down on Buffy's bed. Buffy went to the top of the stairs and listened to her parent's low voices. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but she could hear her mother crying and as she stood there the voices rose to a shout briefly before going back to the quiet muttering.  
  
"Buffy; is everything ok?" Dawn asked.  
  
Buffy forced a smile onto her face. "It's fine."  
  
She walked back into her room and sat on the bed next to Dawn. They sat there for a while, and then they heard the front door open and close. Soon after that their mother came upstairs to find her daughters.  
  
Joyce knocked on Buffy's door before entering to find her two daughters awaiting her arrival and any news on what was happening.  
  
"He's left hasn't he?" Buffy asked dully.  
  
Joyce nodded as she sat down in-between her daughters. "He'll be back tomorrow to collect his things and to talk about you, Buffy. But yes, he's left."  
  
"Why?" Dawn asked in a small voice.  
  
Joyce wrapped an arm around her. "You know Mommy and Dad have been fighting a lot recently? We decided that it would be best if we took a break, to see if we work better as parents when we're apart."  
  
"This is all my fault. If I didn't get in trouble then none of this would have happened." Buffy said, her voice wavering like she was trying to hold back the tears.  
  
"Buffy, this is not your fault. The only reason your dad and me stayed together as long as we did is for you and your sister."  
  
"Don't you love him anymore?" Dawn asked forlornly  
  
Joyce thought for a minute. "I'll always love him. He gave me two wonderful daughters and how could I not love him for that? But I'm not in love with him anymore."  
  
Dawn still looked a bit confused, but Buffy seemed to accept that.  
  
"Can we still see Dad?"  
  
"Of course, whenever you like." Joyce assured her which seemed to pacify Dawn a little. But it was a lot to take in in one night, but it was getting late, so Joyce decided to leave any questions they had until the morning.  
  
"Now, you," Joyce said turning to Dawn, "it is way past your bed time and you should be going to sleep too."  
  
"Can I stay in here tonight, please?" Dawn begged her mother and sister.  
  
"Well...if it's alright with your sister."  
  
"It's fine with me."  
  
"Yessss! Thanks Buffy."  
  
Joyce helped Dawn pull out the sleeping bag and lay it on the floor next to Buffy's bed while Buffy changed into her night things.  
  
Joyce kissed both her daughters good night and switched off the light.  
  
"Goodnight girls... and Buffy? You and I are going to have a very long talk tomorrow, understand?"  
  
"Yes ma'am." She muttered. How could she forget that she's burnt down the school gym and been expelled for it just a few short hours ago?  
  
Dawn giggled and the pair sat in silence for a while. "Hey, Buffy?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why'd you burn down the school?"  
  
"I don't know." Buffy grumbled.  
  
"You must have had a reason." Dawn persisted. "You didn't just wake up this morning and think 'oh, I'm gonna set the school on fire' did you?"  
  
"No." Buffy sighed. She may as well get it over with or Dawn would never let her sleep. "Do you believe in monsters?"  
  
"Like the Boggy Man?"  
  
"Err, yeah, I guess like that."  
  
"Sure, why not!" Dawn chirped.  
  
"OK, well the gym was full of monsters like that and the only way I could think of to stop it was to burn it down."  
  
"Really?"  
  
Buffy nodded, but then remembered that Dawn couldn't see her in the dark room. "Yup."  
  
"Cool! Did you see any of the monsters? Was there grunge? Did you kill anything? Did you..."  
  
Buffy sighed. Was she this inquisitive when she was nine?  
  
**x ♥ x**  
  
"Hey Buffy! Mom says you get to come home today, isn't that great!"  
  
Buffy looked up and smiled. She enjoyed it when her sister visited her; she was the only one who didn't treat her like she was made of china.  
  
"Hi Dawnie. Yea, they finally believe I'm not crazy."  
  
Dawn snorted. "Idiots. I could give them a million reasons why you're crazy."  
  
"Dawn!" Their mother hushed from the corner.  
  
Buffy couldn't keep the smile off her face. At least someone was treating her like they normally would. She got up and wiped her hands on the regulation white sweatshirt and grey sweat pants. "Hey Mom."  
  
"Hello Buffy. How are you feeling today?"  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, Mom. Can we go now?"  
  
"Yeah." Dawn seconded. "This place gives me the creeps, it's full of loonies."  
  
"Dawn!" Joyce scolded, but Buffy laughed. She didn't count herself in the loony column, but she had to agree with Dawn; this place would give anyone the wiggins.  
  
An hour later, the threesome was leaving the hospital.  
  
"Everything's all packed;" Joyce was telling Buffy, "the movers have already taken most of our things down to Sunnydale, but we thought you might want to go to the house one more time."  
  
Dawn's smile had faded at the first mention of the move. She pouted and scuffed her toes on the floor as they walked across the car park.  
  
"I don't see why we have to go to stupid Sunnydale anyway." She grumbled.  
  
"I've told you before!" Joyce answered agitated. "We have to move to a new school for Buffy and we can't afford to stay here. The housing costs in Sunnydale are low and I can start up a business." She snapped and Buffy got the feeling that this argument had been had more than once while she was 'away'.  
  
Buffy looked around the empty house. She couldn't help but be relieved. She was going to a new town where no-one will know her; she could finally get away from everything that happened here.  
  
**x ♥ x ♥ x ♥ x**  
  
**END**  
  
**Possible Next Chapter:** Welcome to the Hellmouth!  
  
That was it, the first chapter. **Should I write more?** If you have a particular episode of Buffy that you think I should re-write with Dawn in, then just bung it in a review, although I won't do eps I haven't seen and I'm starting with season 1.  
  
If anyone would be interested in **beta**-ing this story for me, then please email me or send a review. This isn't my first story, but when I wrote my last one I had someone who checked that last few chapters and I think it really helped.  
  
Please review; Kiara. 


	2. Welcome to the Hellmouth

Thanks to the reviewers:

**Misty midnight:** Thanks for reading and reviewing, I'm glad you like the story.

**Gigi 13:** Thanks for reading and reviewing, I'm glad you like the story.

A big thanks to **Matt** for beta-ing this story for me.

**A/N: **This story focuses on Buffy's memories of Dawn; the ones that we would've seen on TV if Dawn had existed then. So basically, it's Dawn put in the scenes that were shown and some 'missing scenes'. It may not make total sense if you haven't seen the episodes on TV, but I'm trying to get around that.

**CHAPTER 2: WELCOME TO THE HELLMOUTH**

"Buffy? Dawn?" Joyce Summers called up the stairs.

Buffy sat up in bed. "I'm up Mom!" Next door, she could hear her sister saying something similar.

"You don't want to be late for your first day of school!" Joyce Summers called.

Buffy sighed and muttered to herself, "No, wouldn't want that."

"Buffy, get moving! It's your fault I have to go to a new school so don't make me late!" Dawn's voice yelled through the walls of their new house.

Buffy groaned. It wasn't like she was looking forward to starting again either. But just cause she had a 'little incident' at her old school she was automatically to blame for having to start over in a new town...which in a way she was if you were to look at everything from her mom and sister's point of view.

Dawn poked her head in her sister's room. "Buffy!" She whined. "I don't wanna be late! Stupid pyromnac."

"A what-nac?" Buffy questioned.

"Pyromnac. Someone who keeps setting fire to stuff. Like you." Dawn said with a nasty sneer in her voice.

Buffy laughed. "That's pyromaniac you dummy! If you're gonna insult someone, get your words right!"

"Yeah, well, I'm not the one who burnt down the school." Dawn huffed storming out of the room and leaving her sister to get ready for school.

An hour later both girls were sitting in their mother's car on their way to their new school. Buffy was going to be dropped off first.

"Have a good time. I know you're gonna make friends right away, just think positive."

Joyce gave her eldest daughter a thumbs up and Buffy nodded.

"Yeah right! Who's gonna want to be friends with a freak like her!" Dawn scoffed.

"Dawn!" Their mother scolded before turning back to Buffy. "And honey?"

Buffy looked back at her mother in question.

"Try not to get kicked out?" She pleaded.

"I promise."

"Good! 'Cause I am so not moving again if you decide to set fire to anything else." Dawn proclaimed. "Pyromaniac." She added under her breath, getting it right this time.

"Dawn!" Joyce snapped and drove off with her youngest daughter leaving Buffy to the fate of Sunnydale High.

**x♥x**

Buffy was standing in front of her mirror holding outfits out in front of her and then tossing them onto the bed. She held up a shiny black outfit and peered into the mirror.

"Too skanky." A voice called from the doorway.

"Don't you knock?" Buffy asked calmly tossing the black dress aside and holding up a delightful blue floral number.

"Nope... Too Jehovah's." Dawn commented offhandedly.

Buffy groaned in frustration. "I used to be so good at this."

Dawn snorted. "That's a matter of opinion."

Buffy ignored her sister's comment. "So, how'd you like your new school?"

Dawn wrinkled her nose. "It's okay, I guess."

"Uh-huh?" Buffy said distractedly.

"It's just this town, it's so dead!" She moaned.

"What?" Buffy yelped.

Dawn gave her a look; a look that clearly said 'you're such a freak'. "There's nothing here. The mall is tiny there's like, ten decent shops; and there's only one Starbucks in the whole town!"

Buffy grinned, thinking of her potential friends. "So I've heard."

"The people are okay though. There's this girl in my class, Janice, she has to show me around and stuff."

"Mmm. That's nice." Buffy commented, only paying half attention to her little sister's chatter. She held up a navy blue ensemble.

"To geeky... Actually, now I come to think of it, it's perfect for you."

Buffy turned to glare at her sister who smiled sweetly back. "What? I'm only trying to help! Anyway Janice said that this town is haunted."

"W-What?"

"Yeah, how cool is that? There are, like, all these mysterious deaths and loads of grave yards and they're all nearly full! Janice is going to take me to one soon, she promised."

"Dawn, I really don't think that's a good idea." Dawn had her sister's full attention now.

"Why not?" The youngest Summers replied indignantly.

"Because it's not safe; what if it really is haunted? You could get hurt." Buffy said concerned.

"You can't tell me what to do, you're not Mom; you're just my freaky big sister who thinks she's so cool and so popular but you're not." Dawn ranted.

"Dawn-" Buffy started.

"No! It's your fault we have to move here and now you're telling me I can't even go out when I want to? You're such a bi-ach!"

Dawn was saved from her sister's response by their mother entering the room. "Hi, hon, Dawnie."

"Hey." Dawn said tightly.

"What's wrong?" Joyce said immediately.

"Nothing." Her youngest daughter said sullenly.

Joyce looked to Buffy for an explanation. "It's nothing, Mom, sister stuff. _Right_, Dawn?" Buffy said, daring the little girl to say otherwise.

Dawn nodded. "Mom, if I wanted to go out with my friend Janice, would that be okay?"

"Sure honey." Dawn smirked at Buffy triumphantly and Joyce observed the scene before her.

Outfits littered on the bed, hair pulled up in a fancy twist, make-up all over her counter. It was all too familiar.

"Are you, uh, going out tonight?" She asked, even though knew the answer.

"Yeah, I'm going to a club." Buffy said with a smile.

"Oh. Will there be boys there?" Joyce questioned, trying to sound like she didn't really mind either way, but failing miserably.

"No, Mom. It's a nun club." Buffy said patronizingly.

Dawn giggled from where she was sitting and her mother gave her half a glare before turning back to her eldest daughter.

"Well, just be careful."

"I will." She assured her holding up another outfit and looking in the mirror.

"You know, I think we can make it work here. I've got my positive energy flowing. . . I'm gonna get the Gallery on its feet . . . Oh, uh, we may have found a space today." Joyce said happily.

"That's great." Buffy exclaimed.

"Yeah! That's cool, Mom!" Dawn said warmly, her earlier sulk forgotten.

"That school is a very nurturing environment which is just what you need. What you both need."

"Well, actually. . ." Buffy started while Dawn just smiled.

"Oh, not too nurturing. I know, you're sixteen, I've read all about the dangers of over-nurturing."

Buffy went to her bed and laid out a couple of outfits.

Joyce watched her daughter rift through the contents of her closet. "It's hard. New town and everything. . . It is for me, too."

"And me!" Dawn injected.

"I'm trying to make it work." Joyce took Buffy's hands in hers "I'm going to make it work."

"I know. Me too."

"Oh, you're a good girl, Buffy," Joyce cupped her daughters cheek fondly; "you just fell in with the wrong crowd. But that is all behind us now."

"It is. From now on I am only going to hang out with the living."

They let go of each others hands, and Buffy picked up her dresses.

"I mean, lively. People." Buffy corrected.

Buffy headed back to her wardrobe with an awkward look on her face.

"Hmm. Okay. You have fun." Joyce said before leaving, soon to forget her daughters abnormal behavior.

"Your acting weirder than usual." Dawn said flippantly from Buffy's bed. "Hanging out with the living? What's that all about?"

"Get out, Dawn." Buffy held the door open and Dawn stomped out and back to her own room.

Buffy held up another outfit, a blue shirt and black trousers. She nodded at herself in the mirror. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad...

**x♥x**

Buffy rummaged through her wardrobe. Wouldn't be so bad! Already her three kind-of friends had been attacked, one of them getting killed and she had met a tall, dark and handsome stranger who had warned her of some kind of harvest. Now she had to prevent an apocalypse and she hadn't even been in town for a week!

She pulled out a leather jacket. Joyce entered the room. "You're going out?"

Buffy put on her jacket; "I have to."

Joyce watched her daughter carefully. "I didn't hear you come in last night."

"I was really quiet." Buffy assured her mother, hating all the lying that came with her job or calling or whatever.

Dawn walked into her sister's room. Buffy and her Mom were arguing again. Just like they did in LA before they moved. She stood quietly by the door and listened to what they were saying.

Joyce was getting annoyed. "It's happening again, isn't it? I got a call from your new principle. He says you missed some classes today."

'Missing classes? Already? Oh great; Buffy was gonna get kicked out of school again and then we'll all have to move.' Dawn thought silently.

"I was running an errand." Buffy lied.

"We haven't finished unpacking and I'm getting calls from the principle!"

"Mom, I promise, it's not gonna be like before, but I have to go."

"Buffy!" Dawn pleaded. It was happening again, just like in LA.

"No." Joyce said firmly.

"Mom?!" Buffy couldn't believe it.

"The tapes all say I should get used to saying it. No."

"This is really, really important." Buffy tried.

"I know. If you don't go out it'll be the end of the world. Everything is life or death when you're a sixteen-year-old girl." Joyce joked, not knowing how right she really was.

"Look, I don't have time to talk about this-

"Buffy, you've got all the time in the world, you're not going anywhere. "Joyce interrupted. "Now, if you wanna stay up here and sulk, I won't hold it against you. But if you wanna come down, I'll make us some dinner."

Joyce left the room to prepare dinner leaving the two sisters behind her. Buffy leant against her wardrobe door.

"I can't believe she did that." Buffy muttered to herself. "Dawn; go."

"Why? You're not going anywhere, are you?" Dawn asked suspiciously.

"No, I just... want to be alone."

"Liar."

"Dawn, get out!" Buffy commanded.

"No; I'm not gonna let you leave!"

Buffy started pulling a big purple chest out of her wardrobe. "Dawn, you have no idea what you're talking about."

"I know that you're going to sneak out and that you were ditching classes. I don't want to move again Buffy." Dawn whined.

"We're not going to move, but this is really important. If I don't go then people could get hurt." She opened the chest to reveal various knick-knacks; notepads, pictures, dolls. "Dawn, please don't tell Mom."

Dawn scuffed her feet on Buffy's carpet considering what her sister was asking. "Okay. But if you get caught, then you're on your own."

"Gotcha. Thanks Dawnie." She hugged her sister briefly before ushering her out the room. She waited until the door was properly closed and then lifted the top shelf off her chest to reveal a false bottom. The slayer took out bottles of holy water, crosses and stakes and put them into her sports bag.

"Dinner!" A muffled voice called. She went to the door and listened. She heard Dawn thundering down the stairs and the clink of cutlery, but nothing else.

Buffy opened the window and climbed out, chucking her bag to the ground. Time to stop the Harvest.

Downstairs, Joyce was totally oblivious to her daughter's defiance. "Do you think I should go and check on her?" She asked Dawn.

"No!" Dawn exclaimed. "I mean, no. She's pretty mad. Umm, maybe you should let her sleep on it and talk to her in the morning?"

Joyce ruffled her daughter's hair affectionately. "When did you get so smart?"

Dawn grinned and gave a sigh of relief. If Mom found out that Buffy had snuck out, then things would be unbearable around the house and she didn't want that.

**x♥x**

The next morning, Dawn burst into Buffy's room. "You're back!"

"Well duh, where else would I be?" Buffy said, wincing as she sat up. The fight last night had been harsh!

"So where did you go? What did you do?" Dawn questioned, excited about her sister's adventure.

Normally she would have told her little sister to get lost, but Buffy owed her one this time so... "You know, the usual. I saved the world from evil." Buffy quipped.

"Yeah right. You couldn't save the world if your life depended on it...which I guess it would... But still, yeah right!" Dawn retorted. "What did you really do?"

"I went to the bronze." Buffy said truthfully... well, she did.

"That's it?" Dawn exclaimed. "You snuck out to go to some club?" Buffy nodded and Dawn sighed over dramatically. "Sometimes I just don't get you!"

"No;" Buffy replied softly. "You probably don't."

**x♥x♥x♥x♥x**

NEXT CHAPTER: Angel

Please review. Praise, suggestions, constructive criticism; I welcome all feedback.


	3. Angel

**Thanks to the Reviewers:**

**GiGi13:** Thanks for reviewing.

**Logan**: Those little moments in the series inspired this fic! Thanks for reviewing.

**Laura**: Sorry to make you wait for more, but I went on hols :). I hope you like the chapter

**Jazzy**: Thanks for the review and I hope you like the chapter.

**Dawniekey**: Best story you've seen? I'm flattered! I hope you like this chapter as much as the last.

**A/N: **This story focuses on Buffy's memories of Dawn; the ones that we would've seen on TV if Dawn had existed then. So basically, it's Dawn put in the scenes that were shown and some 'missing scenes'. It may not make total sense if you haven't seen the episodes on TV, but I'm trying to get around that.

**CHAPTER 3: ANGEL**

Buffy ran over to the front door. She struggled with her key; the three vampires were still chasing them. She got the door open. "Get in! C'mon!" She invited her companion in.

They both rushed inside and Buffy slammed the door on one of the vampire's hands. The vampire withdrew its hands and peered in the window.

"It's alright. A vampire can't come in unless it's invited." Angel assured her.

"I've heard that before, but I've never put it to the test." Buffy sighed with relief.

"Buffy? Is that you?" A little girl appeared at the top of the stairs. "Oooh! You're in trouble!" She cooed.

"Go away Dawn!" Buffy retorted going into the kitchen and hoping that Dawn wouldn't follow them, but she did.

"You promised Mom that you'd be here for when Janice's mom dropped me off! And you were out with..."

"Angel." Buffy supplied.

"Really?" Dawn said with a grin.

"Yes; why, is there something wrong with that?"

"No, not at- why is he bleeding?" Dawn said looking at the wound on his chest that one of the vampires had given him.

Buffy looked back at Angel remembering the main reason why they had retreated. "Oh...I'll go and get some bandages, just...take your jacket and shirt off."

Buffy went to get the first aid kit with a sharp glare at Dawn to stop whatever smartass response that she knew was coming.

Angel looked up at Dawn uncomfortably. "Hey."

"Hi. My sister's too dumb to remember introductions; I'm Dawn." Dawn held out her hand as she'd seen her mother do before.

Angel smiled slightly before taking her hand and shaking it. "Angel."

Dawn grinned. "You have really cold hands." She commented getting herself a drink. Angel stiffened. "So how'd you hurt yourself?" Dawn asked, oblivious to the vampire's discomfort.

"Some guys attacked your sister and I stopped to help."

Dawn looked alarmed. "Is she alright?"

Angel could have kicked himself. This kid didn't know about the slaying gig and he'd scared her. "She's fine; she's very capable of looking after herself. She didn't even need me really."

Dawn looked relieved. "So are you and my sister going out?"

"Dawn!" Buffy exclaimed from the doorway. She held up the first aid kit. Angel turned away modestly and removed his jacket. Buffy looked up from where she was opening the bandages. She stared at him as he removed his top.

Dawn kicked her shoe from where she was standing behind her and mocked her sister by staring goggle eyed at Angel's back. Buffy glared at her as Angel turned around. "Err, nice tattoo" she said referring to the bird like snake on his left shoulder.

Dawn rolled her eyes and went into the living room to watch TV. Buffy began to wind the bandage around Angel's chest. "I was lucky you came along... How did you happen to come along?"

Angel smiled down at her. "I live nearby. I was just out walking."

"So you weren't following me? I just had this feeling that you were.

Angel smiled again. "Why would I do that?"

"You tell me. You're the mystery guy that appears out of nowhere. I'm not saying I'm not happy about it tonight, but. . . if you are hanging around I'd like to know why."

"Maybe I like you."

They were interrupted by Dawn groaning in the doorway. "Would you get a room."

"Dawn!" She was only ten years old- she shouldn't be implying things like that. Buffy comforted herself by reasoning that Dawn didn't really know what she was saying; she was just copying something she heard off the TV.

Buffy heard the front door open and quickly went to intercept her mother. She pulled her mom into the house quickly and closed the door, still worried about the three vampires.

"Hi! What are you doing?"

"There's a lot of weird people outside at night . . . I just feel better with you safe and sound inside."

"Hey Mom!" Dawn came bounding into the hallway.

"Dawn? What are you still doing up? You should have been in bed ages ago."

"Come on Mom; it's only ten o'clock! Janice goes to bed way later than me! Besides I had to wait for Buffy to-"

"-to make her a snack! Dawn was hungry so I said I'd make her a snack." Buffy interrupted quickly. "You must be beat, Mom."

"I am. We're a little gallery. You have no idea how much-" Joyce started tiredly.

"Well, then why don't you go upstairs and get into bed, and I can bring you some hot tea?"

"That's sweet! What'd you do?" She asked suspiciously.

"Can't a daughter just be concerned about her mother? I can make it when I make Dawn's snack."

Angel came out of the kitchen. "Hi."

"Hi" Joyce replied with a 'you'd better have a good explanation for this' look at Buffy.

"Oh! Okay. . .Um.. . Angel, uh, this is my mom. Mom, this is Angel. Uh, we ran into each other on the way home." Buffy explained.

"Nice to meet you." Angel said.

"What do you do, Angel?"

"He's a student." Joyce gave Buffy a disbelieving look. "Uh, first year community college. Angel's been helping me with my history; you know I've been toiling there."

"It's a little late for tutoring. I'm gonna go to bed, and, uh, Buffy?" Joyce hinted as she started up the stairs.

"I'll say good night and do the same!"

Joyce nodded "Dawn; I want you in bed in ten minutes. It was nice to meet you, Angel. Goodnight."

"'Night Mom." Dawn watched her mother go up the stairs. "Why'd you lie to Mom about being attacked?"

"What?"

"Angel told me these guys attacked you? Why didn't you tell Mom?"

"Oh, that. Well, it was just a prank, you know how guys are and they took it a bit too far. Don't tell Mom?"

Dawn sighed. "Okay. I always seem to be covering for you in one way or another. Now, where's my snack? You told mom you'd get me a snack!"

A couple of minutes later Dawn was munching on a sandwich in the kitchen.

"Good night! We'll hook up soon and do that study thing!" Buffy called out the door to 'Angel'.

"Come on!" Buffy said urgently to Angel dragging him upstairs before Dawn came out of the kitchen.

"Look, I don't wanna get you in any more trouble. . ." Angel said as the slayer pulled him into her room.

"And I don't wanna get you dead. They could still be out there. So, uh, oh. . .two of us, one bed. That doesn't work.Um, why don't you take the bed? Y' know, you're wounded..."

"I'll take the floor." Angel offered.

"Uh, no, that's not. . ."

"Oh, believe me, I've had worse."

"Okay. Um, then why don't you check and see if the Fang Gang is still loitering and, um, keep your back turned while I change?"

Angel looked out the window. "I don't see them."

"Good." Buffy said after a minute. "You can turn around now. I'm gonna get Dawn up to bed."

Angel nodded and Buffy walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"Dawn, bed now!" She ordered.

"Fine, fine, I'm going. There's no need to be so snippy." Dawn said as she went up the stairs.

"You know, I'm the Chosen One, it's my job to fight guys like that. What's your excuse?" Buffy said to Angel when she went back into her room.

"Uh, somebody has to."

"Well, what does your family think of your career choice?" she asked, reaching up into her wardrobe for a spare pillow.

Angel looked away. "They're dead."

"Was it vampires?"

"I-it was."

"I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago."

"So, this is a vengeance gig for you."

Angel changed the subject swiftly. "Y-you even look pretty when you go to sleep."

"Well, when I wake up it's an entirely different story."

Buffy handed him a blanket from her bed. "Here. Sleep tight."

He laid the blanket down on the floor next to her bed and lay down while Buffy got into bed. "An-"

They were interrupted by Buffy's door being flung open and Dawn bursting in. "Buffy, can I borrow your... Oh."

Buffy leapt out of bed and shut the door swiftly. "Dawn-"

"What's going on?"

"I can't send him away, he'd injured! Please don't-"

"I know, I know; don't tell Mom. What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing! Please Dawn, trust me. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"You owe me, like, massive!" Dawn said as she went back to her own room.

Buffy got back into bed and sighed in relief. She was gone, but sooner or later both Dawn and her mom would find out the truth. "Angel?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you snore?"

♥

Joyce Summers opened the door expecting to see Buffy. Instead she saw a girl of about the same age wearing a tartan skirt and a white blouse. "Hello?"

"HI! I'm Darla, a friend of Buffy's?" The girl said.

"Oh! Nice to meet you."

"She didn't mention me coming over for a study date, did she?" Darla said in her human disguise.

"No I thought she was studying with Willow in the library."

"She is. Willow's the Civil War expert, but I was supposed to help her with the War of Independence. My family kinda goes back to those days." Darla said with a smile.

"Well, she's supposed to be home soon. Would you like to come in and wait?" Joyce offered, not knowing that she had just invited a vampire into her house. "Would you like something to eat?"

"Yes, I would." Darla followed Joyce into the kitchen. Joyce opened one of the cupboards to look inside.

"Would you like something little, or something big?"

"Something big." Darla said as she grabbed Joyce. Joyce screamed as Darla plunged her teeth into her neck.

Dawn ran down the stairs. "Mom?"

Darla looked up. "Well if it isn't desert." She sneered.

Angel kicked in the back door. "Let her go!"

"I only had I little, there's plenty more. Aren't you hungry for something warm after all this time? Come on Angel, just say 'yes'!"

Darla shoved the unconscious Joyce at Angel before grabbing Dawn and exiting the house swiftly. The smell of blood caused Angel to morph into his game face as he looked down at Joyce's open wound.

"Hey! I'm home!" Buffy called as she entered the kitchen.

Angel looked up at Buffy, Joyce still in his arms. "Buffy!"

Buffy surveyed the scene. Using all her slayer strength she picked Angel up and threw him through the window. "You're not welcome here. You come near us and I'll kill you."

♥

Joyce was talking to Giles in the hospital, not knowing that her oldest daughter was trying to kill the vampire that she thought had hurt her at that very minute. "I know she's trying. She's trying really hard. She's studying with Willow, she's studying with Darla."

"Darla? I-I-I don't believe I know, uh. . ."

"Her friend, the one who came over tonight." Joyce explained.

"Darla came to your house tonight? Sh-she's the friend that you mentioned earlier?" Giles stuttered.

"I must've frightened her half to death when I fainted. Someone should really check and make sure she's alright. And poor Dawnie! I must have scared her too."

"Dawn? But I-I thought she was with a f-friend?"

"No; she was so upset, poor thing. Janice wasn't in school today so she came home with me. Is she alright?"

"Y-yes she's fine. If you'll excuse me."

Giles hurried out the door to find Willow and Xander who were sitting outside the room. "We have a problem."

♥

Buffy and Angel were fighting in the Bronze. They stopped and he told her about receiving his soul.

"...I haven't fed on a living human being since that day." Angel finished.

"So you started with my mom?"

"I didn't bite her."

"Then why didn't you say something?"

"But I wanted to. I can walk like a man, but I'm not one. I wanted to kill you tonight."

Buffy put her bow down on the floor and looked back at Angel. She offered him her neck. "Go ahead." Angel made no move to bite her. "It's not as easy as it looks."

"Sure it is!" Came a new voice and Darla entered the room dragging Dawn who had her hands bound behind her back.

"Dawn!" Buffy whispered. "Let her go!"

"Yeah, okay. What kind of moron do you think I am? I would have eaten her already, but I thought I'd love to see the look on your face when I drain her dry and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Darla; let the girl go. She's nothing to do with this." Angel commanded.

Darla scoffed. "Do you know what the saddest thing in the world is?"

"That hair on top of that outfit?" Buffy suggested.

"To love someone who used to love you."

Buffy looked at Angel. "You guys were involved?"

"For several generations." Darla replied smugly.

"Well, you been around since Columbus, you are bound to pile up a few ex's. You're older than him, right? Just between us girls, you are looking a little worn around the eyes."

Darla smiled, seeming not to mind Buffy's insults. "I made him. There was a time when we shared everything, wasn't there Angelus? You had a chance to come home, to rule with me in the Master's court for a thousand years, but you threw that away because of her. You love someone who hates us. You're sick. And you'll always be sick. And you'll always remember what it was like to watch her die. You don't think I came alone, do you?"

"I know I didn't." Buffy responded, kicking the bow up into her hands.

"Hmm, scary." Darla pulled out two pistols and aimed them at Buffy and Angel. "Scarier!" She shot at Angel sending him into a pillar.

"Dawn get away from her!" Buffy shouted, retreating behind a pool table.

Scared as she was, Dawn started to back away from the blond vampire who was now way more interested in killing her sister anyway.

Darla continued to shoot at Buffy whilst she managed to fire a couple of shots from her crossbow at the vamp.

Dawn backed up against the wall, her hands still tied behind her back. She jumped as she felt a hand clamp over her mouth and pull her to the side. She looked up and sighed in relief; Xander. He put his finger to his lips to signal that she should be quiet and led her out a side door to safety.

Once they were outside, Xander untied her hands and gave the shaking girl a hug. "Are you ok?"

Dawn nodded. "What was that?" She asked, her voice trembling.

"That was a vampire." An older, British voice replied. "I'm Mr. Giles; the Sunnydale High librarian.

"Hello." Dawn said shyly. She heard another gun shot come from inside. "Buffy! We have to help her!"

"She'll be fine, Dawnie." Willow said. "She's really strong."

"Yes; in every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer."

Dawn looked confused. "Huh?"

♥

"So vampires are real?"

"Yup. And demons too."

"And Angel's a vampire?"

"Yup- but a good one."

"And you kill vampires 'cause you have all these super powers?"

"Yup. And it's a massive secret."

"Okay." Dawn said slowly. "When did all this start?"

"About a year ago. There really were vampires in Hermery's gym; that's why I burned it down."

Dawn nodded, surprisingly, things made more sense this way. "I won't tell anyone; I promise."

"I know you won't." Buffy said pulling her little sister in for a hug before going back to her Chinese Takeaway.

"Don't you get scared?" Dawn asked quietly.

"Honestly? All the time. But having people to talk to; Xander, Willow and even Giles really helps."

"I guess you really are a freak then." Dawn stated, but not unkindly.

"I guess. But I can kick your butt anytime, so watch your mouth." Buffy threatened.

Dawn giggled. "You've got sauce all over your chin."

Buffy grinned sheepishly wiping her face on a napkin. "Maybe I should give up eating with chop-sticks."

Dawn laughed again. "Maybe; you're just trying to show off anyway!"

"Oh really?"

"Yesssss! Buffy stop! Stop it!" Dawn cried out as Buffy started tickling her.

Buffy picked up the chop sticks and put them in her mouth so it looked like they were fangs. Dawn shrieked and ran off. Buffy gave her a head start before chasing after her. "I'm the slayer; I'm going to get you!"

And to anyone looking in from outside, it would look like your average siblings chasing each other round their house. For a moment, no matter how short, they were a normal family.

♥♥♥♥

Another chapter done. I estimate that I'll probably spend another two or three chapters on season one before moving onto season two. I'm still taking requests of what episode you want to see in this fic, so just put any suggestions and how you'd like to see them done in a review or an email and I'll see if I can put it in.

Next Chapter: Nightmares

Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please Review!!!


	4. Nightmares

**Thanks to the Reviewers:**

**Jazzy: **I'm glad you like this story and thanks for reviewing.

**Freezyboncoolipants: **Thanks for reviewing- hope the update didn't take too long.

**Matt: **Thanks for reviewing, personally I think he'd keep the guns, they'd be pretty useful in Sunnydale.

**Jen Carpe Diem:** Thanks for the compliment; I'm glad that there are some people who like my work. Keep reviewing!

**Pigeon Overlord:** When the reviews keep coming, I'll keep writing! The next chapters nearly finished and I'll be sending it to my beta soon, but I'm back at school so it may take longer in the future. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you like this chapter as well.

**A/N: **The beginning of this chapter is the end of 'the puppet show', but the rest is Nightmares. There's also been an insert of 'The Pack' as a flashback as it was requested by Zira.

**CHAPTER 4: NIGHTMARES**

"I don't see why I had to come." Dawn whined.

"You're here to support your sister." Joyce hissed, smiling sweetly at a couple of parents she recognized.

"She doesn't want my support, she said so, and I'm here because you forced me to come." Dawn sulked, plopping down in the seat next to her mother.

"We were only just in time!" Joyce exclaimed, ignoring her daughter's pouting.

"Oh goody." Dawn muttered, but once again she was ignored.

The curtains parted to reveal Buffy staring out at the audience with some kind of bundle in her arms. Giles put on his glasses and looked out as well, as did Xander. Willow was holding a small axe as she nervously glanced out at the audience and there was what appeared to be a slimy body lying on the floor.

"What? I thought they were doing a Greek play?" Joyce asked confused.

"They are... Maybe they are, umm, still setting up. Yeah, the curtains could have opened early and they weren't ready." Dawn lied. She knew that Buffy had slayed something from the moment she saw the demon body and Willow with the axe.

Joyce gave her daughter a funny look before she shrugged her shoulders. "Yes; you're probably right."

Dawn breathed a sigh of relief and settled down to watch the show.

About half an hour later, Buffy, Willow and Xander were doing their act... and Dawn was trying hard not to laugh.

Willow was terrified, anyone could see that._ "_Oh, ruler of my country, Oedipus, you see our company around the Altar, and I, the priest of Zeus!"

"Ha, ha! They prophesize that I should kill my father. But he is dead." Xander knelt down and woodenly acted grabbing a handful of dirt. _"_And hidden deep in the soil. But surely I must fear my mother's bed."

Buffy was as bored as Willow was nervous. She walked around Willow to Xander and patted him on the head. "Oh, Oedipus, Oedipus, unhappy Oedipus, that is all I can call you, and all that I ever shall call you."

Dawn couldn't hold it in anymore and her laughter burst out in a snort. Buffy turned and glared at her sister and Joyce nudged her, but now she had started she couldn't stop giggling. Buffy continued to glare for a bit, but she gave up and then rolled her eyes at her friends 'acting'.

"Darkness! And horror of darkness. Unfolding, restless, visitant, sped by an ill wind in haste." Xander (badly) acted. "Madness, and. . .Madness a-and stabbing pain, and, a-and, uh. . . oh. . . oh. . .memory of, uh, ill deeds I have done."

The stage fright had literally frozen Willow. Buffy rolled her eyes again and poked Willow to cue her. Willow, moving faster than anyone had seen her do so, dashed off the stage to the safety of the wings.

Xander and Buffy, left with half a sketch to complete and a massive gap between the two remaining characters, stepped closer together and smiled sweetly at the audience. The members of the audience sat in silence, apart from Dawn's giggling, and Buffy noticed Snyder glaring at her; she was going to pay for this.

**x?x**

"Buffy! It's time to get up for school... Are you alright?"

"No. Uh, yeah! Yeah! I'm, I'm fine! Oh. . . School! Great." Buffy said as she got out of bed.

"You wanna go to school?"

"Sure! Why not?"

Joyce started to open the blinds, allowing the Californian sun to stream through the windows. "Okay.Good day to buy that lottery ticket. I spoke with your father."

"He's coming, right?" Buffy asked fearfully.

"You're on for this weekend. He'll pick Dawn up first at 3:00 and then come for you."

Buffy sighed with relief. "Good."

**x?x**

Joyce was driving her daughter's to school. "You're both very quiet today." She looked in the rear view mirror to see Dawn's reaction. Her youngest daughter continued gazing out the window and just shrugged her shoulders.

Joyce turned to look at Buffy who, like her sister, was staring out the other window. "Buffy?"

"I-I didn't sleep well."

"I'll say. I came in to check on you twice. You were yelling in your sleep. Do you know what you were dreaming?"

Buffy shook her head. "Not really. Oh, no, my bag! I-I packed it for the weekend and I forgot it!"

"You and your dad can swing by the house and get your bag. It's not an international crisis."

"Okay. Yeah, I just, uh, had meant to bring it."

Dawn spoke for the first time in the journey. "H-he's still picking me up from school, right? A-at 3:00?"

"Honey, are you worried your father isn't gonna show?"

"No! N-not really. Should I be?" Dawn said nervously.

"He will be here...right?" Buffy asked.

"Well, of course, not! I-I-I just, I-I know it's a hard situation. You just have to remember that your father adores you both. No more than I do, by the way."

Dawn smiled as they pulled up at Sunnydale high school and Buffy got out the car.

"Goodbye." The blond slayer called.

"See ya later."

"Have a great day." Joyce called as Buffy went into school.

**x?x**

Buffy and her friends were in the library when Hank Summers came, Dawn trailing behind him.

"There you are! I've been looking everywhere. Why aren't you in class?" He exclaimed.

"Dad, what are you doing here? Y-you're not supposed to pick me up till after school. Is something wrong? Dawn, are you okay?" Buffy asked, taking in Dawn's tearful expression.

"Well, I, I need to talk to you." Hank replied, taking no notice of the teary ten year old behind him.

That scared Buffy. "Something **is **wrong, is it mom?"

"No, no, it's not your mother, she's fine." He lowered his voice. "Could I speak with you for a moment? Privately?"

"Um... sure!" Buffy suddenly remembered the other occupant of the room. "Oh! I'm sorry. Dad, this is Mr. Giles, the librarian. Uh, this is my dad, Hank Summers."

"My pleasure." Giles said politely.

Hank took Giles' hand and shook it briefly. "Likewise."

"Could you watch Dawn? I'll be back soon." She told Giles, confused by a number of things, mainly the fact that her father was totally ignoring Dawn.

Buffy followed her father out while Dawn just watched them go.

"D-Dawn, are you alright?" Giles asked gently.

"H-He said I didn't belong, that I wasn't part of the family." She sobbed.

"Who did? Not your father?" He asked aghast. Who would tell a little girl something like that?

Dawn sniffed. "I don't want to talk about it." She said sullenly and flounced over to a chair.

Giles almost tried to speak to her again, but he didn't know what to say. So instead he picked up a newspaper and tried to read what was written on it.

Giles was still trying to read what was written on the paper when Willow and Xander came in. "Red alert! Where's Buffy?" Xander demanded before seeing Dawn. "Hey there Dawnie; how's it hanging?"

Dawn smiled in reply. She was still a bit wary of Xander, ever since she met the hyena him before she knew monsters were real.

_FLASHBACK_

"There you are!" Joyce Summers approached Buffy and Xander as they entered the house. "I can't stop now or I'll be late for dinner. Buffy, make sure Dawn's in bed by nine and don't let her get hyped up on sugar again. Bye, love you."

She ducked out the door to go to her business meeting and Buffy watched her go.

"Xander are you sure you're okay to watch Dawnie?" Buffy asked in a hushed tone. Xander hadn't been acting like himself, he'd almost been mean.

"Buff, chill, go patrol. Me and the Dawnmeister'll be fine!" He seemed to be back to normal now...

"Okay. Dawn! I've got too go out, but Xander will stay here with you, kay?"

"I don't need a babysitter!" Dawn yelled from upstairs in her room.

"Yes you do!" Buffy replied. "Do what Xander tells you, bye!"

Buffy shot an anxious look at Xander and headed to the cemetery. Xander watched her go, smiling reassuringly. The minute the door closed, the smile was gone. He lifted his head and sniffed the air.

He sauntered into the kitchen and pulled open the refrigerator. There was a leg of ham in there causing Xander to smile. He was just polishing it off when Dawn appeared in the doorway.

"Eww! Gross!" She squealed.

Xander swung round in surprise, but when he saw who it was, he schooled his features into a friendly look. "Hey there Dawnie."

Dawn backed away. He'd looked so vicious when he'd first seen her and now there was still something off about his behavior. "I-I'm gonna go upstairs...to my room."

Xander had made no attempt to follow her or to stop her.

_END FLASHBACK_

"Where's Buffy?" Xander asked, his voice snapping Dawn back to the real world. She now knew that Xander had been under some kind of spell, but she was still a little wary of him.

"Uh, she, she just stepped out. Her, her father came by early. He, he needed to talk to her. W.. .where are your other clothes?"

Xander cringed. "Oh, don't I wish I had the answer to **that **question."

"Xander kinda found himself in front of our class not wearing much of anything." Willow said with a smile.

"Except my underwear."

Willow laughed. "Yeah! It was really. . . bad. It was a bad thing."

"'Bad thing'? I was naked. 'Bad thing' doesn't cover it. It's a total nightmare." He groaned.

Willow's head shot up as something connected in her mind. "Well, yeah Xander! I-it's your nightmare!"

"Except the part with me waking up going 'it's all a dream'. It happened."

"Like it happened to Wendell. That thing with the spiders? Wendell had a recurring dream about that." Willow rambled.

"I-I dreamt that I got lost in the stacks and I. . . I couldn't read. . .Of course!"

"Of course what?" Dawn asked Xander, who was nearly as confused as she was.

"Uh, our dreams are coming true?" Xander tried.

"Dreams? That would be a musical comedy version of this. Nightmares, our, our nightmares are coming true. Dawn; did you ever have a nightmare when you didn't belong in your family?"

Dawn nodded. "Yes" She said quietly.

"Why Dawnie? They love you and they always will." Xander comforted.

"Nightmares aren't always logical, Xander." Giles reminded him. "I highly doubt that you will ever attend a class in that state of undress."

"So, why is this happening?" Willow asked getting the conversation back on topic.

"Billy." Giles stated.

"Well, that explanation was shorter than usual. It's Billy!" Xander exclaimed. "Who's Billy? "

"He's a boy in the local hospital. He was beaten. He's in a coma. Somehow I think he's crossed over from the nightmare world he's trapped in."

"And he brought the nightmare world with him. Thanks a bunch, Billy." Xander said, relying on sarcasm in moments of panic as usual.

"How could he do that?"

"Things like that are easy when you live on a Hellmouth." Giles sort of explained.

"Well, we have to stop it." Dawn acknowledged.

"And soon. Or else everyone in Sunnydale is gonna be facing their own worst nightmares."

There were a few moments of silence while the news sunk in before Giles spoke again.

"Buffy doesn't know this is happening. And given the sort of thing that she tends to dream about, it's imperative that we find her."

"What about me? I'm not staying here on my own." Dawn said as she began to follow them out the library.

"No, of course not...it would probably be best if you stay with me."

Dawn looked a bit annoyed at having to spend time with the librarian, but followed him all the same.

"Probably faster if we split up to look for her." Xander suggested.

"Good idea." Giles agreed.

He and Xander went off in opposite directions, Giles taking Dawn with him.

Willow began to call after them, but they were already gone. "Faster, but ... uh, not really safer."

**x?x**

Dawn and Giles were patrolling the school corridors when Willow and Xander ran through a plastic sheet and careered into them. "No sign of Buffy?" Giles asked as he pulled Dawn up from the floor.

Dawn looked over his shoulder fearfully. Giles looked round and saw a knife wielding clown running up behind him. They started to run towards the end of the corridor. When they got there Xander stopped.

He punched the clown unconscious saying: "You are a lousy clown! Your balloon animals are pathetic! Everyone can make a giraffe!"

Dawn gave Xander an odd look as they ran outside. Willow stopped suddenly and looked across the street. "Excuse me, but when did they put in a cemetery across the street?"

"And when did they make it night over there?" Xander added.

The group crossed the street and went into the night.

"Whose nightmare is this?" Xander asked.

Dawn gasped as they came upon a gravestone that read 'Buffy Summers, 1981-1997'.

"It's mine." Giles knelt down next to the grave and put his hand on the fresh soil.

Willow and Dawn screamed as a hand reached through the dirt and grabbed him. Giles tore himself away and watched as Buffy rose from her grave.

"Buffy?" Dawn whispered.

"I though I was dead!" Buffy said as she turned to face her friends.

Dawn gasped again. "Buffy; your face!"

Buffy felt her face. "Oh, God! Don't look at me." She said, but her friends couldn't tear their eyes away.

"Buffy, there's a chance that we can make it go away. This all comes from Billy. Now, if, if we can only wake him up, I believe that the nightmares will stop and reality will shift back into place, but we must do it now! I need you to hold together long enough to help us. Can you do that?" Giles asked her.

"Yeah, I think I can."

**x?x**

The hospital was in chaos. A doctor was backing away from Billy's room, holding his crippled hands and patients were running about. The group paid no attention, though, as they ran into Billy's room.

"Billy...Billy?" Giles shook the young boy trying to wake him.

"That won't work." Billy's astral body was standing by the curtains looking down at himself.

"Billy, you have to wake up!" Giles pleaded.

"No; I have to hide."

"Why? From what?"

"From his nightmare." Buffy replied for him, seeing the monster that haunted Billy's dreams come down the hall.

Buffy began to fight the creature, eventually knocking it unconscious. "Billy, come here. You have to do the rest."

"What is she doing?" Dawn asked, but Giles hushed her.

Billy leant over and peeled back the monster's face. A bright light streamed out and everything went back to normal.

Billy began to stir in his bed. "I had the strangest dream, and you were in it...who are you people?"

**x?x**

Buffy was waiting for her father outside the school. He drove up and honked the horn before getting out the car, closely followed by a happier looking Dawn.

"Hi!" He greeted his daughter with a hug. "Oh, it's so good to see you. How was your day?"

Buffy exchanged a secret look with Dawn who smiled back. "Fine, you know, the usual..."

**x?x x?x x?x x?x**

I'm still taking requests of what episode you want to see in this fic, so just put any season two suggestions and how you'd like to see them done in a review or an email and I'll see if I can put it in. I'll put anything in, but if there's not enough material in the actual episode to work with, then I'll do the same thing as I did with this chapter and do a mini flashback.

Next chapter: Prophecy Girl.

Please Review;

Kiara


	5. Prophecy Girl

**A/N:** Sorry about the long wait guys! Life stuff and school work got in the way. Thanks to Matt for betaing.

**Thanks to the reviewers: **

Freezyboncoolipants: I'm glad you like the story and thanks for reviewing :)

Jazzy: 'School Hard?' defiantly! Gotta have lots of Spike in here! Thanks for reviewing :)

Pigeon overlord: I hope you like this chapter as well. Thanks for reviewing :)

Wiccan2004girl: I can most defiantly do 'Passion', I've added it to my list. Thanks for reviewing :)

Pigeonofdoom: Sorry about the wait, I won't do it again...forgive me?

**CHAPTER 5: PROPHECY GIRL**

"What 'cha doing?" Dawn bounded into her older sisters room.

Buffy quickly wiped her eyes. "Nothing."

"Were you _crying_?!" Dawn asked incredulously.

"No, no, I'm fine. Promise." Buffy offered her sister a weak smile and the younger girl returned it doubtfully.

"Is that your birthday party?" Dawn asked, gesturing to the folder on Buffy's bed.

"Yeah. Things were so much easier then." Buffy said smiling fondly and turning the page again.

"Before you became the slayer?"

"Yes." Buffy traced a finger over the next picture. It was of her, not long after the last picture had been taken. But in this picture, she had a bluish purple bruise blossoming on her cheek. She had tried covering it with her hair, but it was still visible. Dawn noticed that although Buffy was smiling, she didn't look as happy as in the last pictures- she looked tired and older by more than a few weeks or so.

"Do you mind being the slayer?" Dawn asked tentatively.

Buffy paused. She had a feeling that Dawn wanted an honest answer and she had to think about that. "When it first happened, I wished so hard to not be the slayer. When I came here, I still didn't want it. But then it got better when I had someone to watch my back."

"So you don't mind it?"

"I didn't say that."

Buffy turned the page again and the girls looked at the rest pictures in silence.

**x?x**

"Hey Buffy, love the dress; is Willow okay?" Dawn asked, entering her sister's room for the second time that evening. "Are you slaying?"

Buffy stopped packing her bag with the supplies that she would need and turned to her sister. "She's a bit freaked out, but she'll be fine. Dawn...there's something that I've got to tell you, and I hate it, but I have to tell you okay?"

Dawn nodded, fear and confusion in her eyes.

"I am going slaying. There's this...thing and I'm the only one who can stop it, but the thing is, I mean- God, this is so hard!" Buffy paused; should she tell her or not. "I might die tonight, Dawnie."

Dawn shook her head in disbelief. "No! No, you can't!"

"You know what I do; you know there's a chance that it might happen some day." Buffy said quite harshly; she was the one on death row, not Dawn, not Giles, not Willow, her.

"Don't go, please Buffy. Stay here, you don't have to fight it." Dawn begged.

"I'm the only one who can stop it Dawn, you know I have to go, it's my destiny." Buffy gave a hollow laugh. "This is the work I have to do. But I'll be okay, I've lived in this world and that's the hardest thing I'll ever have to do." Buffy took a deep breath. "If something does happen, I need you to take care of Mom for me."

"Buffy, no, don't do this!"

"Could you just listen to me please?" Tears were springing to the young slayer's eyes. She didn't want to die. "I want you to look after Mom; I want you to look after each other, because family is what matters. And I know we've had our fair share of fights, more than our fair share;" the tears were falling freely now, as were Dawn's; "but I want you to know that I love you and I'll always love you, no matter what."

Dawn launched herself into her sister's arms and hugged her tightly- this could be the last chance that she'd get.

"I just want you to be prepared, because I might die tonight." Buffy squeezed her sister once more and kissed her forehead. The slayer released Dawn and picked up her weapons bag. She cast a final look about her bedroom and at her sister sitting on her bed staring at her before leaving.

Dawn sat dumbly for a moment after Buffy had left. She heard her yell out to their Mom that she was going out to the dance and saw her running down the street through the window.

The ten-year-old leapt to her feet and dashed down the stairs, pausing quickly to get herself in order. "Mom, is it okay if I go to Emma's house for a bit?"

Joyce seemed to be considering it, but Dawn knew she'd say yes- Emma only lived next door and as far as she was concerned Sunnydale was a nice quiet town. "Well okay, but don't be late home!"

Dawn grabbed her coat and flew out the door. She ran all the way to Sunnydale high, not stopping until she reached the library.

"Buffy!" The young girl panted. Without slayer speed and stamina it had taken a lot out of her to get to the school and it was a miracle that she hadn't been attacked by a vampire or one of the other nasties that went bump in the night.

The occupants of the room all looked at each other and then at the exhausted girl in the doorway. No-one wanted to speak, to be the one who told her that Buffy had gone off to her death all alone.

"She's gone Dawn." Willow said gently.

"No! She can't have gone! Why did you let her go?" She demanded of Giles.

"As the soon to be purple area of my jaw will tell you, I did not let her go." The librarian replied irritably.

"Well, how can we help her?" Willow asked.

"Uh, I'm sorry to bring this up, but we also have an apocalypse to worry about?" Ms. Calendar pointed out.

"Do you mind?" "How come she's in the club?" Xander and Willow protested.

"Hey! Once the Master gets free, the Hellmouth opens, the demons come to party and everybody dies, including me." The computer science teacher said.

Xander threw up his hands. "Uh, uh, I don't care. I'm sorry, I don't. Right now I gotta help Buffy."

"We don't even know where she's gone." Giles reasoned.

"No. But I can find out." Xander said before leaving the library despite Willow's protests.

Dawn looked around, why weren't they doing anything? They had to do something!

Willow appeared to be having the same thoughts, so she asked the question that no-one had the answer to: "Now what?"

**x?x**

Giles struggled out from the stacks with an armful of books. "The Master is as old as any vampire on record. There's no telling how powerful he'll be if he reaches the surface."

"Okay, here's my question: the Hellmouth opens. Where? If he's underground, and it's right where he is, where's it gonna open?" Jenny Calendar asked.

"Good point. Uh, well, look, you have a look through the Black Chronicles. . ."

She took the book offered. "Okay."

"Uh, Willow? Willow?"

"Huh?" Willow shook herself out of her worrying for her two closest friends.

Giles sat down at the table. "Could you look through the local histories, please? Check for any common denominators, uh, locations of incidences and such."

"Right, okay." Willow nodded, glad to have something to do.

"What about me?" Dawn asked.

Giles seemed surprised when the young girl spoke, he'd totally forgotten about her. "Ah, Dawn, well you could help Willow look at local history."

Dawn nodded and sat down next to Willow. The four scrutinized their various texts, looking for anything that might help.

Giles put his book down. "Well, let's think about this, then. The vampires have been gathering, they know he's coming, they will be his army."

"Do you think they'll gather at the Hellmouth?" Ms. Calendar asked.

"Well, the last time the Master tried to rise was the Harvest. He sent a bunch of vampires to get him fresh blood." Willow said entering the conversation.

Jenny Calendar nodded, following her train of thought through. "Well, where did that go down?"

"The Bronze." Giles said.

Willow gasped. "The Prom!"

"We have to warn them." Dawn exclaimed.

"Dawn, whatever you do, don't leave the library." Giles ordered hoping to every god he had ever heard of that Dawn was a little bit more obedient than her older sister.

Giles grabbed his jacket, but Ms. Calendar stopped him. "No! We'll go. You have to concentrate on demon killing. My car's in the lot."

Giles nodded in agreement. "Stay close together, and for goodness' sake, be careful!"

"We will." Willow assured him before leaving them in the library.

**x?x**

The duo still researching in the library were interrupted by a loud crash from down the halls.

"What the..?"

Giles got up from the table as Ms. Calendar, Willow and Cordelia ran into the library and slammed the doors shut. "What's happening?"

"Guess!" Ms. Calendar said as a vampire punched through the window in the door and started grabbing at them.

Willow grabbed a sign and started hitting the vampire with it as Giles and Dawn dragged a bookshelf in front of the double doors.

"Why are they coming here?" Dawn shouted above the din, her voice full of fear. Buffy wasn't here to protect her this time.

Everyone looked to Giles for an answer, but he didn't have one. In all the commotion no-one saw a large green tentacle worming its way through the cracks in the floor.

The group piled more things in front of the door when Dawn screamed.

Giles turned to see what had scared the young girl. "They're coming in through the stacks!"

Ms. Calendar, Cordelia and Willow moved to push back the vampires and secure the stacks, while Giles did the same in his office leaving Dawn at the doors. Another vampire punched through the doors and grabbed the young girl, lifting her off her feet. "Somebody help me!"

Dawn hit the hand, with little effect and then bit down on it. The vampire howled and drew his hand back. "See how you like it!"

"This won't keep them out for long." Willow said, then she screamed bringing Giles out of his office. He was just in time to see a large, three headed and tentacled demon burst through the floor.

Giles grabbed an axe moved forward to fight the beast. Willow and Ms. Calendar also picked up weapons, but both were thrown back.

Dawn and Cordelia backed up against the wall, what were they going to do now?

The fight didn't last long. Just before Giles got himself killed, the sky light smashed open and a body fell down onto a wooden spike, making the vampire that had fallen dust and sending the demon snake thing back to hell.

**x?x**

Dawn and Cordelia pulled at the objects blocking the door while Willow and Giles checked themselves over for injuries.

"Buffy!" Dawn hugged her sister tightly. "You're alive!"

Buffy returned the hug. "Was there ever any doubt?" She quipped, but it lacked some of the usual care free nature that there could usually be heard in her voice.

Giles picked himself off the floor and looked cautiously towards the open door. "The vampires?"

Cordelia looked into the empty corridor. "Gone."

"The master?" Buffy asked fearfully.

"Dead. The hellmouth is closed." Giles said with relief. "Buffy? Buffy?"

"Oh, sorry. It's been a really weird day." Buffy said with a smile.

"Yeah! Buffy died and everything!" Xander laughed nervously; they had been so close to losing her.

Willow smiled at her friends. "Wow. Harsh."

"I should have known that wouldn't stop you." Giles said affectionately.

Buffy looked up at her watcher fondly, and then down at the girl still clinging onto her. "Err, Dawn?

Dawn let go of her sister and gave her a teary smile. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

"Well, what do we do now?" Ms. Calendar said after a pause.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd like to get out of this place. I don't like the library very much anymore." Giles cast a look at the crumbling walls and the crack in the floor.

"Hey! I hear there's a dance at the Bronze tonight. Could be fun." Xander suggested.

Cordelia perked up at that idea. "Yeah!"

"Buffy?"

"Sure! We saved the world. I say we party!" The slayer looked down at her slightly damp dress. "I mean, I got all pretty."

"And what about him?" Ms. Calendar gestured at the bones still on the table.

Buffy looked at the skeleton of the Master that had so nearly beat her. "He's not going anywhere. Loser." She shook herself out of her thoughts and turned to Dawn. "Shouldn't you be at home?"

The young girls eyes widened in realization. "Oh no! Mom's gonna kill me!"

"How did you get here?" Buffy asked sharply; the silence gave her Dawn's answer. "Please don't tell me you came by yourself?! Dawn! You know how dangerous that is!"

"What was I supposed to do?" Dawn retorted angrily. "Wait around for someone to call and tell us you were dead?"

Buffy shrank back like she'd been shot at her sister's harsh tone. "Sorry." She mumbled.

"No, I'm sorry." Dawn's anger disappeared when she saw the hurt look on her sisters face. "Mom's gonna freak- she told me not to be back late."

"If it will make a difference, I can drive you home." Giles offered.

"Yes, thank you." Dawn smiled broadly at the librarian.

"You can meet us at the dance."

Giles nodded. "I'm not dancing though." He replied to the newest member of 'the gang'

"We'll see." Jenny Calendar said smugly.

Dawn waited while Giles got his car keys from the ruins of his office, watching her sister and her friends leave the library. She smiled at their bantering and saw Angel hang back with he sister. Tutor? Yeah, right.

"By the way, I really like your dress." Angel said softly.

Buffy rolled her eyes, but couldn't keep a pleased smile off her face. "Yeah, yeah. Big hit with everyone."

Giles came out of his office with his keys. "Are you ready Dawn?"

"Yup; ready and waiting." She replied cheerfully as they left the library.

The Hellmouth was closed; the Master was dead; the prophecy had been fulfilled. Maybe now everyone could get some peace.

Or then again, maybe not.

**x?x?x?x x?x?x?x x?x?x?x**

**x?x?x?x x?x?x?x x?x?x?x**

Season One: Complete! Now on to season two!?! I'll probably end up doing about 10 chapters for future seasons because they're twice the size, unless I get lots of episode requests (hint, hint).

Next up: 'When She Was Bad.' After That: 'School Hard'

What do you want to see after that? Let me know in a review.


	6. When She Was Bad

**Thanks to the Reviewers:**

**Freezyboncoolipants: **Review are always useful, even if only to make me smile! I'm glad you're still here.

**Buffy Fan: **'Ted' is on the list- sorry, I'll give an advanced warning so you can skip it! I can promise you that Dawn is going to back Buffy up throughout season 2 and at least the beginning of season 3, but I'm not sure about Buffy taking her along when she runs away- she is only ten or eleven after all so would need a lot of looking after which Buffy couldn't really do.

**Charmed-Angel-4:** I'm glad you like the story. Thanks for reviewing.

**pigeonofdoom:** Glad to see you're still reading! Thanks for reviewing!

**wiccan2004girl:** Thanks for reading and reviewing.

**gidgetgirl:** Thanks for all the reviews. I'll try and write Dawn a bit younger- she did seem a bit mature. Halloween is def on my list- Dawn'll either dress up as the slayer or some other kind of superhero. Thanks for your comments and suggestions.

**DragonThorn:** I can def do 'Lie to Me' in some shape or form. Dawn won't meet Spike in 'School Hard' so much- but she will eventually and I have something planned for that. Thanks for reviewing!

**A/N:** Sorry about the long wait between chapters. I'm finding it hard to come up with enough substance to write each chapter. I plan on finishing this, but it may take a little longer than originally anticipated.

A mahusive thanks to my beta **Matt**

**CHAPTER 6: WHEN SHE WAS BAD**

"Okay, then. This is the last of it." Hank Summers hefted another suitcase onto his oldest daughters bed.

Joyce eyed the suitcase wearily. "More clothes?"

"Oh, do shoes count as clothes?" He said, knowing the answer.

"How much shopping did you let them do?"

"Oh, I just thought I was saving you from the big back-to-school clothing nightmare." Hank said as he unzipped the suitcase.

"Back to school shopping with Dawn isn't a nightmare- she's still at the age where she's happy with jeans and a tee. And my nightmares of Buffy in school have nothing to do with clothes. Did she manage to stay out of trouble in L.A.?" Joyce asked, fearing the answer.

"She did, yeah. She was, um... you know, great."

"But?"

"She was just, I don't know, um... distant. Not brooding or sulking, just... there was no connection. The more time we spent together, the more I felt like she was nowhere to be seen."

"Hence the shoes?"

Hank handed his ex-wife one pair of many shoes. "I may have overcompensated a little bit."

"Hmm." Joyce looked the shoes up and down, and then at the other pairs in the case. Where were all these gonna fit?

"And Dawn!" Hank exclaimed.

"What about Dawn?" Joyce asked sharply.

"She was tiptoeing around Buffy all holiday, no matter what Buffy said, she just took it and followed her around like a lost puppy."

"Hence Dawn's new clothes? Which she is not going to set foot out of this house in in the next ten years. I can't believe you actually brought her that skirt!"

Hank shrugged apologetically "I let Buffy have one similar, how could I have said no?"

"Like this: no! She's six years younger than Buffy and I expect her to dress that way."

Hank shrugged again and directed the conversation back to Buffy. "It's so strange. You know, at least when Buffy was burning stuff down I knew what to say."

"Well, welcome to my world. I haven't been able to get through to her for so long. I'll just be happy if she makes it through the school year." Joyce commented, putting yet another jumper onto the pile.

**x?x**

"How are your new classes?" Joyce asked as she dropped Buffy off for school.

Buffy shrugged. "Good."

"Good. Is there the slightest chance that if I asked you what was wrong you would tell me?"

Buffy sent her mother a look that clearly said there was no hope of her telling anything. "Bye, mom. See ya squirt."

Joyce sighed in agitation, missing the hurt look on Dawn's face. "Course not. It would take all the fun out of guessing."

"Don't be too hard on her, Mom; she's going through some stuff."

Joyce turned round in her seat. "Since when were you so keen on defending your sister. Dawn; is there something I should know?"

"No." Dawn said too quickly.

"Dawn!" Her mother said sternly.

"I don't know anything, okay!" Dawn snapped. Joyce gave up; she wasn't going to get anything out of her youngest daughter in this mood.

**x?x**

A vampire started pulling on a chain, and Willow, Giles, Dawn, Cordelia and Jenny were moved along an overhead conveyor so that they hung upside down over the Maser's skeleton.

But they would remember nothing of this because they were unconscious and helpless.

"Behold, these five mortals." Absalom said. "Witnesses to our Master's wretched demise. They will breathe their last this night. The blood that pours from their throats will bring new life to the old one. We gather for his resurrection. For the dawn of this new hell. "

Buffy, Angel and Xander slipped in through the side door of the warehouse and quickly sized up the situation.

"Buffy!" Xander said, trying to attract Buffy's attention without drawing attention to them. "Buffy! We gotta do something now!"

"You two get the others out of here."

"We need you to distract the vampires." Angel said softly.

"Right."

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna kill them all. That oughta distract them." Buffy snuck forward as Absalom kissed the blade that would kill the sacrifices.

But he was distracted by one of the vampires turning into dust. He looked on in disbelief as he saw Buffy standing there in a defensive stance. He roared in annoyance and the other vampires began to fight her, but Buffy easily kept them at bay.

He came back in and saw Angel and Xander pulling on the chain, bringing the others back over to the platform.

Absalom returned from ushering Colin to safety and saw Angel and Xander pulling on the chain to free their friends. "The sacrifices! Stop them!"

A vampire responded to Absalom's command and ran to the ladder. Angel and Xander kept pulling on the chain as the vampire neared them. Absalom looked around and then rushed out of the warehouse.

Buffy did a flip over some wooden boxes, grabbed one on the way and smashes it onto a vampire's head. She kicked the vampire in the face, knocking him down and breaking a few pieces of wood off of the box.

On the platform above Giles, Dawn, Jenny and Cordelia were already off of the conveyor. Angel and Xander lifted Willow off as well. Giles rolled on the floor in semi- consciousness. They laid Willow down as the vampire finally made it up to the platform and growled. Angel looked back at him with his game face on and growled back. The vampire attacked, apparently not knowing that any vampire that went up against Angel in this mood would most defiantly die.

Below, one of the vampires was on top of Buffy. She reached up with a broken piece of wood and jammed it into the vampire's back, getting ash all over herself. The vampire she knocked down before with the box got up and rushed to attack her again. Only he and the vampire Angel was fighting remained.

Above, Angel and his opponent fell through a poorly covered hole in the platform. Jenny woke up and crawled over to Giles, who had also awakened and was trying to sit up.

"Are you alright?" Giles asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"Where's Buffy?"

Xander was at the edge of the platform holding a still unconscious Willow in his arms and watching the fight below with Dawn standing next to him, watching her sister fight fascinated her. When she had fought Darla, Dawn had been rescued so she hadn't seen her then but now there was nothing stopping her.

"Uh, she's working out her issues." Xander answered, wincing on behalf of the vampire as Buffy kicked the vampire into a storage rack while Angel staked his opponent.

"ENOUGH!" Everyone turned to look at Absalom as he entered again, bringing a sledge hammer with him.

"Your day is done, girl. I'll grind you into a stickypaste, and hear you beg before I smash in your face."

"So, are you gonna kill me or are we just making small talk?" Buffy quipped.

Absalom raised the sledgehammer in indignation and yelled as he began his attack.

The other vampire rushed at her from the other side, having gotten up from the storage rack.

Buffy calmly looked at the tall wooden torch post in front of her, breaks it off and turns it a few times in her hands. The vampire impaled himself on the broken end and crumbled into ash before he knew what was happening.

Absalom ran into the burning end and was set ablaze. He backed up and screams as the flames spread over him. He made a last desperate attempt to get Buffy and raised the sledgehammer over his head, but he was too late as the flames engulf him and he instantly burnt into ashes.

The sledgehammer fell to the floor with a loud clang. Buffy dropped the post and looked over at the Master's skeleton.

"It's over?" Dawn half stated, half questioned.

"No, it's not." Xander corrected.

Buffy bent down and picked up the sledgehammer. She slowly walked over to the Master's skeleton and looked at it for a moment- this is what had caused her to isolate herself from her friends.

Then she swung the hammer back behind her and arced it directly into the Master's skull, shattering it to pieces. She kept whaling on the Master's skeleton as Willow, Xander, Dawn and Giles looked down from above.

Angel came up behind her and watched her continue until there was nothing left on the table. She suddenly stopped and burst into tears, dropping the sledgehammer to the floor.

"It's okay. It's okay." Angel soothed.

Buffy turned around and leant into him, crying into his shoulder. Angel gently held on to her as she cried, the others watching them from above.

**x?x**

"Dawn?" Buffy knocked on her sister's door the next morning.

"What do you want?" Dawn sounded fed-up.

Buffy pushed the door open. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. I was a total bi-ddy." Buffy corrected lamely.

"Buffy, it's okay. You were going through stuff- I get that...see I'm not a total brat!"

"Can't you just be mad? This moral superiority thing is way annoying."

Dawn grinned. "Fine. You were a complete bitch!"

"Dawn!"

"What? You really were a cow."

"Uh! Well you really are a brat!" Buffy said good naturedly.

"Fine- freak." Dawn grinned again.

"Squirt!" Buffy retorted.

The pair collapsed in giggles as Joyce poked her head around the door.

"It sounds like you two were back to normal now."

"Yeah." Buffy agreed.

Joyce smiled at her daughters and left them to it.

"Seriously though, I'm really sorry."

"I know. And it's okay, really. Do you want to know what the worst part was? You've got all these people who you can talk to about slayer stuff; Willow, Xander, Giles, even Cordelia. But all I have is you. It was really scary in the warehouse, Buffy."

Buffy hugged her sister. "I know. But Willow and Giles and Ms. Calendar were there."

"Yeah; but they don't know me. I'm just your sister Buffy; they've never really met me as anything but that."

"I'm sorry, Dawn. And maybe, you could come with Xander, Willow and me one time; that way they'd get to know you better."

"Really?"

"Sure." Buffy smiled warmly. "But not all the time- I can't hang out with my little sister all the time; what would Cordelia say?"

**x?x x?x x?x**

Next chapter: School Hard

See that review button down there? Click it and you could win a bazillion pounds! Honest! Not believing me? Oh well, review anyway!!!


	7. School Hard

Sorry about the lack of updates; I have no excuse- only writers block can be blamed, but I've already started on 'Halloween' so that should be up within the week. And I fully intend on finishing this fic.

Thanks a lot to the reviewers:

**Atenlot**: Thanks for reading and reviewing.

**Buffy fan:** I can assure you that Spike will not 'reform' upon seeing Dawn- there will be some kind of relationship there obviously, but not like S5 and it won't come to light for a few more chapters. Thanks for your comments.

**Gigi13:** Thanks for reading and reviewing, I hope you like this chapter as mch as the last.

**Charmed-angel4:** Thanks for reading and reviewing. I'm glad you like the story.

**Pigeonofdoom**: I'm sorry about the lack of updates, but this is an extra long chapter to make up for it and I promise the next chapter will be fairly soon. I will do Killed by Death- I downloaded a copy off the internet so I now know what happens. I hope you like the chapter and please keep reviewing, reviews keep me writing.

**Alextii**: Thanks you for your comments, you're the second person to pick up on that. Comments have been taken on board and I'll do my best in the future.

**DragonThorn**: Drusilla would most probably hate Dawn and most probably will :) Dawn and Buffy will still have a good relationship, I think that they might separate a little when Joyce finds out but still close and then, as you said about S5.

**Freezyboncoolipants**: Thanks for reading and reviewing, it's much appreciated.

Thanks to Matt for being so patient and betaing this for me.

**CHAPTER 7: SCHOOL HARD**

Sunnydale library was not your normal library, but then, the people in it weren't ordinary people.

Willow was checking over a crossbow and their other weaponry, Jenny Calendar was carrying an armful of wood over to where Xander and Cordelia sat whittling stakes for Buffy, who was wielding a machete…to cut a cucumber. Giles, as usual, had his nose in a book and the final occupant of the room, Dawn Summers, was arranging biscuits on a plate, looking a bit miffed.

Giles was researching the latest threat made by the newest bid bad; Spike. "For three nights the unholy ones scourge themselves into a fury, um, culminating in a savage attack on the night of St. Vigeous."

Xander sighed wistfully. "Does anybody remember when Saturday night meant date night?"

"You sure don't." Cordelia retorted.

Dawn finished with her biscuits, but then Buffy plonked another plate and two more packets in front of her. Dawn scowled. "Buffy; when you said you'd take me to a Scooby meeting; I didn't think you meant…this!"

"Ooo! Parents start arriving in an hour. Okay, so, um, banners are in place, the lounge is comfy... What am I forgetting?" Buffy clicked her fingers in agitation, ignoring he sister.

"Punch?" Willow tried.

"Punch. I need, I need punch!"

Cordelia inspected her nail polish. Thankfully it was all still intact. "My fingers are cramping. How long have I been doing this?"

"Three minutes." Xander replied, not looking up from his whittling.

"So, can I go now? She doesn't need this many stakes. I mean, if this guy Spike is as mean as you all said, it should be over pretty quickly." Cordelia suddenly found herself on the receiving end of many glares. "We're still all rooting for you on Saturday. I'd be there for you myself if I didn't have a leg wax."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "You guys hold down the fort. I'm punch bound. Dawn; don't leave the library, and there's more food in Giles' office that has to go out."

"Fine." Dawn sighed eyeing the cookie mountain in front of her wearily.

Buffy left the library, and the minute she was gone, Xander and Cordelia reached over to the vegetable plate she had been preparing to grab something to eat.

Buffy's head appeared round the door. "No!"

**x?x**

Dawn was dutifully pouring the punch into cups while Buffy watched over her like a hawk.

"What kinda punch did you make?" Willow asked as she came over and took a plastic cup from Dawn.

"Uh, lemonade. I made it fresh and everything." Buffy said proudly.

"How much sugar did you use?" Willow asked taking a sip.

"Sugar?"

Willow spit the lemonade back into the cup, grimacing at the sour taste. Thankfully Buffy didn't see, but Dawn did and she grinned at Willow.

Dawn had already sampled the punch- she knew how bitter it was but decided to say nothing and watch as everyone pulled all kinds of faces as they tried to drink the lemony drink.

"It's very good." Willow spluttered, putting her cup down.

"Okay, now all I have to do is keep my mother and Snyder from crossing paths for the rest of the night."

"Hi, Mom." Dawn called out.

"Hi, Mrs. Summers." Willow said.

"Hi, Willow. Hey, Dawnie; have you behaved?" Dawn nodded whilst rolling her eyes at her mom. "Hi, honey. Did you, uh, do all this?"

"Yeah! Um, here, have some lemonade." Buffy offered her a cup before seeing Principal Snyder enter the room. "…Right after Willow shows you the library. I have to stay here and hostess."

"Great, the library." Realisation struck as Willow remembered what was happening at that moment in the library. "Uh, um, ooo, no, G-Giles and everyone..."

",..is locked in there studying." Buffy continued smoothly. "Right. French class it is!"

"Dawn-" Joyce started as she was whisked away by Willow.

"I'll stay right here, Mom." Dawn called out as she saw Principal Snyder. "I think it's going to be more interesting here."

"Was that your mother?" Snyder asked as he approached.

"Here." Buffy grabbed a cup of lemonade and turned to Snyder, spilling the cup over him. "Oh! Oh, sorry! Um, yeah! Yeah, I was gonna introduce you, but, um, she wouldn't have said much. You know, she doesn't speak a word of English."

Dawn rolled her eyes at Buffy's blatant attempt at a cover up, and Principal Snyder appeared to believe the story even less than Dawn. He went after Joyce and Willow and Buffy looked anxiously at the clock on the wall; still nearly three hours to go.

Dawn slung her arm around her sister, both girls watching the retreating back of Snyder. "Just so you know," Dawn started; "that was the _worst_ cover story I have ever heard."

**x?x**

"Giles has us locked up in that library working on _your_weapons. Even slaves get minimum wage." Cordelia moaned as she approached Buffy and Dawn.

"What?" Buffy asked noticing Cordelia staring at her face.

"You're starting to look a little slagged. What, are you just skipping foundation entirely now?"

"Cordelia, I have at least three lives to contend with, none of which really mesh. It's kind of like oil and water and a... third unmeshable thing."

"Yeah, and I can totally see the oil.Is that your mom?" Cordy asked looking over at Joyce. "Now that is a woman that knows how to moisturize. Did it, like, skip a generation?"

"Well, I believe that I have seen every classroom on campus, and just as I get there all your teachers miraculously have stepped out."

Willow grinned over Joyce's shoulder looking very pleased with herself and Buffy smiled back appreciatively.

"Dawn have you behaved yourself for Buffy?"

"Why do you always ask that?" Dawn asked agitated, then, seeing her mothers look, continued with a roll of her eyes. "Yes, I was an angel."

"She's been fine, Mom." Buffy clarified, but then seeing Snyder: "Oh! Mom! You haven't seen the boiler room yet. And, you know, that's really interesting, what with the boiler being in the room and all."

Buffy laughed nervously as Snyder approached the group.

"Hi. I'm Joyce Summers. I'm Buffy's mother." Joyce said holding out her hand.

Snyder ignored her hand. "Principal Snyder. I'm afraid we need to talk. My office is down here."

"He didn't look very happy." Buffy said worried.

Dawn snorted. That was the understatement of the century.

"But you did such a good job." Willow said.

"When they're done talking..." Cordy started with a big smile on her face.

"What?"

"My guess? Tenth high school reunion, you'll still be grounded."

Buffy and Willow gave Cordelia identical looks, but Buffy's turned into a worried face while Willow was just annoyed. "Cordelia, have some lemonade."

Dawn grinned evilly as Cordy went over to the punch table- watching people drink Buffy's lemonade was funny!

**x?x**

"In the car, now." The meeting with Snyder had finished and Joyce Summers was not happy.

Buffy and Willow exchanged looks as Dawn followed Joyce out of the room in silence; when their mother was in this mood, it was better to keep quiet.

Snyder was going around turning off all the lights to encourage the remaining parents to leave, but he was disturbed as two vampires came crashing through the window. Parents began to panic and ran about to try and get away, but more vampires were surrounding them.

Buffy came back into the room, her mother and sister frozen in the door way.

Spike grinned. He was in game face and he looked quite scary. "What can I say? I couldn't wait."

Buffy distracted Spike by throwing a chair in his pathway. "Everyone get out! Come on!"

Spike watched Buffy lead the humans out. "Nobody gets out! Especially the girl!"

"Everybody, this way! C'mon! C'mon!" Buffy yelled to the group following her, which included Snyder, Joyce and Dawn.

Giles came out of the library hearing Buffy's shout. "What the hell...?!"

"Spike and an army! Look out!" Buffy warned seeing a vampire behind them as she continued to try and get the 'civilians' to safety.

Giles and Jenny ran back towards the library, while Buffy opted for opening the door to the science classroom. "In here! Now!"

The vampires chasing them began to pound on the door, but on the other side Snyder and a parent had put a large cabinet in front of the door.

"Dawn? Are you okay?" Joyce asked.

"I'm fine- what are the vampires doing here?" Dawn questioned a little dazed. She hadn't seen this many vampires before and this Spike guy had sounded like bad news from what Giles had been saying earlier.

"Vampires?" Joyce repeated, but then she laughed nervously. "I'll never understand the slang you kids use."

**x?x**

"What's going on?"

"Who are those people, and what do they want?"

"Buffy, what are they doing here…it isn't Saturday yet!"

"I didn't get much of a look, but is there something wrong with their faces? I..."

"Yes! PCP! It's a gang on PCP! We've gotta get out of here." Snyder pushed a desk over to the window and started climbing on it, but he was pulled back by Buffy.

"You can't go outside! They'll kill you!"

"You don't tell me! I tell you!"

"They will kill everybody in this room. Nobody goes out; nobody comes in until **I **say so. Do you hear me?" Buffy ordered.

"Who do you think you are?" Snyder desperately grasped at the control that was slipping through his fingers.

"I'm the one that knows how to stop them."

Joyce grabbed her daughter. "Buffy, are you crazy? Look, I know you've been accused of fighting and other things, but those guys are serious. You can't go out there."

"I know. That's why I'm going up there."

Buffy pulled a table to the middle of the room

"Don't worry, Mom. Take care of her Dawnie." Buffy said as she climbed through the ceiling.

"Always." Dawn replied seriously, but Buffy was already gone.

**x?x**

"Why don't you sit down?" Joyce suggested to Snyder who was pacing the room.

"This is my school. What I say goes, and I say this is _not_happening."

"Well, then I guess the danger's over!" Joyce said sarcastically, earning a small snigger from Dawn and a glare from Snyder.

"I'm not waiting for them to open the doors. I'm getting out!" One of parents climbed up to the window and started to lift the sash.

"Don't be an idiot!" Joyce protested.

"I'm beginning to see a certain mother daughter resemblance." Snyder sneered.

"No! Look, you heard what Buffy said!" Dawn cried seeing the man try to force the window open.

"She's a student. What does she know?"

"More than you'd think." Dawn muttered, but didn't have the courage to say too loudly.

Snyder took off his jacket and began to help the father who was trying to escape, neither knowing what dangers lay in wait outside.

**x?x**

"I did it!" Snyder proclaimed with a grunt as he and the other man forced two of the slats guarding the window back.

The other man started to pull himself through the opening. Snyder helped him through, but let go when the man began to kick and scream while struggling with something outside. Snyder watched dumbly as the man got pulled through the window and then stepped down slowly. Joyce quickly climbed up, bent the slats back and closed the sash.

Someone had just lost their father.

**x?x**

Apparently the vampires had found an axe. The evidence of that fact was that there was now a hole in the door and noises could be heard as something pulled back the attacker and was fighting with it in the hallway.

"Buffy! Are you okay?" Joyce asked as Buffy's face appeared in the hole.

"I'm fine, mom. Is Dawn okay?"

"I'm fine!" Dawn yelled from inside.

"Buffy, look, uh, get out of here, okay? We'll be alright!" Joyce said with a false brightness.

"Look, just hang on for one more minute until I tell you to open the door." Buffy said, moving away from the door.

The group inside heard Buffy move away. They waited in silence for what couldn't have been more than three minutes, but felt more like thirty, until they heard someone approaching.

"Mom, now!"

Joyce opened the door as she was told. "Okay, come on, let's go!"

"C'mon! Hurry!" Buffy ushered the people into the library. "Giles; get them out!"

Alarm bells went off in Joyce's head. "You're coming too!"

"In a minute! Go!" Buffy rushed off.

"Buffy!" "Be careful!" Joyce and Dawn shouted after her.

Giles started to lead the group out through the stacks. Joyce stopped and turned around.

"Mom?"

"Stay with Mr. Giles, honey." Joyce ran off in the direction Buffy had taken.

"Mom!" Dawn looked round at the other escapees, her mind torn. With one last look back Dawn headed after Giles to safety.

**x?x**

"So she saved you from Spike?!"

"Yes! Just like I told you a million times already!" Buffy laughed.

"I just don't get it!"

Buffy sighed. "She grabbed the axe and stood be-"

"No, no, not that!" Dawn interrupted. "She saw vampires. She was held hostage by loads of them and beat up one of the baddies, yet she doesn't think to ask what happened."

Buffy shrugged. "People only remember what they want to remember… or something like that. She doesn't want to believe it, so she doesn't; simple as that." The blond slayer said logically.

"I guess that makes sense." Dawn said doubtfully. "I'm sorry I didn't look after Mom."

"What are you talking about?"

"When she went after you. She told me to stay with Giles, and I did. I let her go off on her own."

"It's okay Dawn; I think you were doing a pretty good job of looking after her. Mom just tends to jump into things without thinking."

"Says the slayer." Dawn snorted.

"Hey! I think, all the time; I'm a regular Giles when I want to be…but without the lack of dress sense…and the accent."

Dawn looked on amused as Buffy paused. "And the books." She added as an after thought. "And I have better hair."

**x?x x?x x?x**


	8. Halloween

**Review Responses:**

**Freezyboncoolipants: **Thanks. Keep reviewing!

**DragonThorn:** You're wish is my command. The scene with Spike and Dawn wasn't part of the original so it hasn't been betaed I'm afraid. Dru will most definitely freak out! Thanks for reading!

**Pigeonofdoom**: Thanks for reviewing. I hope your English essay went alright! ;)

**BuffyFan**: I'm glad you liked it- I hope you like this chapter too.

**Godessa39**: This'll be B/A as long as the show was (probably a bit longer cause I hate Riley and his part in this story will be minimal) and that's most of this fic, so I hope that's enough! Thanks for reviewing.

**Saved-artist87:** I'm glad you enjoyed. I will keep going but see authors note for more details. Thanks for reviewing.

**Note for Matt:** Thanks for beta-ing and just so you know, I added a scene with Dawn and Spike- I hope it doesn't suck to badly :)

**A/N:** I have a few important exams at the end of this month as well as being the main part in a school panto. This means my time is very stretched at the moment. If I can update before the beginning of February (it's quite unlikely though) then I will, if not- I'm sorry. If you'd like to be emailed when I get around to writing the next chapter, then leave you're email in a review or email me at kiaraz87hotmail .com

**CHAPTER 9: HALLOWEEN  
**  
"How about this one?"

"No."

"This one?"

"No."

"This one?"

"No way."

"Dawn will you just pick a costume!" Buffy said agitated.

"Janice said Halloween is stupid." Dawn sulked.

"So you're not going trick or treating? You're gonna stay at home all night on your own?"

"Yes." Dawn said, but her certainty was wavering.

"You're not going to get loads of free candy and go on a sugar high?"

"Well, maybe I could- for the last year though."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Of course. What do you want to go as, a monster?"

"Eww! No way!"

Buffy clicked her tongue in irritation. "You have the whole shop to choose something from- go, have fun."

Dawn ran off between the shelves that covered the shop floor to find her costume. Buffy shook her head and turned to Willow.

"Do you have any idea how much I wish I was an only child? So, what did you get?"

x?x

Dawn wondered through the stacks of costumes. She knew that she didn't want a mask or anything too babyish- that ruled out all the princess costumes that she'd been wearing every Halloween for her entire life.

She found a pair of leather trousers with a red jumper which looked fairly normal. It had cool weapons too, much like the ones she'd found when snooping in Buffy's room. Two stakes, one on each thigh, a sword strapped to the back, two pistols on a belt around her waist and two daggers on the tops of her arms.

"Cool!"

"You like that do you?" A strange voice said.

"Yeah- who are you?"

"I'm sorry, I'm Ethan. I own this shop. I can make you a good deal on that costume- it centres around a myth that very few people have heard of anymore."

"Really? What?"

"The slayer."

"T-The what?"

"The slayer, see I told you no-one had heard of it! It's a girl who fights  
for good."

"Really?" Dawn said, grinning knowingly.

"Yes, are you interested?"

Five minutes later Dawn held her bag secretively to her chest and went back over to Buffy who was admiring some old dress.

"I'm ready." Dawn announced, expecting them all to be. "Hello Ethan!"

The shop owner looked surprised to see her standing there.

"I'll be ready in a minute Dawn. There's no way I could afford this."

"Nonsense." Ethan said. "I feel quite moved to make you a deal you can't refuse."

x?x

Buffy, dressed in her medieval ball gown costume, opened the door to find herself on the end of a plasticy rifle.

"Private Harris reporting for... Buffy! Lady of Buffdom, Duchess of Buffonia, I am in awe! I completely renounce spandex!"

"Thank you, kind sir. " Buffy said with a curtsy.

"Hey Xander!" Dawn said bounding over.

"Hey- it's the Dawnmeister! That's a great costume Dawnie…what is it?"

Buffy rolled her eyes as Dawn beamed at the attention she was getting. "Yeah, yeah, it's great. She's a frigging slayer, isn't that great? It's not like I've got a secret identity to keep or anything. Anyway, wait till you see-"

Willow appeared at the top of the stairs, her hand picked outfit completely covered with a white sheet with 'Boo!' on it.

"-Casper." She finished disappointed.

"Hey, Will! That's a fine boo you got there."

Willow smiled nervously. Dawn giggled. Buffy looked annoyed. All her hard work for nothing!

x?x

"This is your group, Summers. No need to speak to them. The last thing they need is your influence. Just bring them back in one piece and I won't expel you."

Buffy rolled her eyes at her principals retreating back and turned to the group of children she was helping. "Hi."

Snyder span around. "Ah, ah!"

Xander was having much better luck. His group, which included Dawn, was all lined up in front of him.

"Okay, on sleazing extra candy: tears are key. Tears will normally get you the double-bagger. You can also try the old 'you missed me' routine, but it's risky. Only go there for chocolate. Understood?"

The row of children nodded their heads.

"Okay, troops. Let's move out."

x?x

What was happening? One minute…actually, she didn't even know that. But now she was on a street surrounded by all these weird creatures that she had an urge to fight, but they were deformed- they looked like monsters.

She didn't know who she was or where she was, but it was like she still knew some things, just not the usual stuff like who she was or why she was there. More that although she had no idea what all the scary looking monsters running about were, there was some kind of instinct to kill. As she looked around, she saw what looked like a hooker go straight through an army guy- she was a ghost!

The army guy turned to the ghost and pointed his gun at her. "What are you?!

"Xander, listen to me. I'm on your side, I swear! Something crazy is happening. I was dressed as a ghost for Halloween, a-and now I am a ghost. And you were supposed to be a soldier, and now I guess you're a real soldier."

"You expect me to believe that?" The soldier guy, Xander, said.

She thought for a moment. Part of her was totally freaked out; the other part accepted the explanation almost as if weird stuff like this would be part of her life. The red headed hooker looked around and caught sight of her and started running over.

"Dawn! Dawnie!"

Moving on instinct, she dived in some kind of flip that should not be anatomically possible to avoid the attack.

When the girl got to where she had been standing the minute before she turned around looking surprised. "What the…oh! You're the slayer! This is useful, very useful. Dawn? Don't you remember me? It's Willow. Buffy's best friend, remember?"

So, if this Willow could be trusted, then she was called Dawn. Huh, pretty.

A thought struck Willow. "Uh-oh. If you're the slayer, then Buffy is... We have to find her."

Both Xander and Dawn looked at her in confusion. "Who's Buffy?"

Willow tried to explain whilst looking around anxiously for her friend. "She's blond, short. She's…right over there. Buffy! Buffy, are you okay?"

Two monsters charged at them as Willow helped Buffy to her feet. Dawn, again acting purely on instinct, jumped forward and kicked them away.

"No, that's still a little kid!" Willow protested.

Xander raised his gun and took aim as more monsters approached. "This could be a situation."

"Buffy, what do we do?" Willow asked the frightened slayer.

Dawn looked at the blond who promptly fainted. "Well that's helpful!"

x?x

"Buffy, are you alright?" Willow asked. The monsters had been fought off by Xander

"What?"

"Are you hurt?"

"Buffy, are you hurt?" Willow repeated.

"Buffy?" She asked sitting up.

Willow helped her friend up. "She's not Buffy. Oh, this is such fun. What year is this?"

"1775, I believe. I-I don't understand. Who are you?" The blond said confused.

"We're friends." Willow said as Buffy started to hyperventilate.

"F-friends of whom? Y-your dress... Everything is strange! How did I come to be here?"

"Breathe, okay, breathe. You're gonna faint again." A thought occurred to her so she turned to Dawn. "What do you know about this?"

She blinked rather stupidly. "About this? Nothing! I didn't do it!"

Willow smiled recognising a bit of the old Dawn in this new one. "I know, but what do you think we should do?"

"How should I know?"

"Well, you are the slayer."

"What's a Slayer?" Dawn asked confused.

"You don't know? But I thought we all turned into our costumes! How can the slayer not know about slayers?" She babbled. "Buffy always knew about slayers…except that she didn't. Oh fudge, we gotta newbie."

"Huh?"

"It's alright Dawnie, I promise."

Strangely enough, Dawn didn't find the promise from the babbling stranger very comforting.

"I suggest we get inside before we come across anything..."

"DEMON! A DEMON!" Buffy screamed, pointing to a sports car that was driving up the street.

"That's not a demon. It's a car." Willow explained.

"What does it want?" She asked peaking out from behind Xander where she'd taken cover.

Xander shook her off his shoulder. "Is this woman insane?"

"She's never seen a car, she's from the past."

"And you're a ghost." Xander said still sceptical.

"Yes! Now let's get inside."

Xander shifted his gun into one hand, using the other to pull Buffy along. "I just want you to know that I'm taking a lot on faith here. Where do we go?"

x?x

Willow opened the front door and called out. "Hello? Mrs. Summers? Good, she's gone."

Dawn looked around curiously. "Where are we?"

"Your place. Now we just need to..." she was interrupted by a banging at the door. "Don't open it!"

"Could be a civilian." Xander reasoned.

"Or a mini demon." Willow countered.

Buffy picked up a frame standing on a nearby table and stared at the picture in it. It was two girls, one who looked exactly like her and the other one looked like the violent brunette girl that was in the house with them.

"Wass'at?" Dawn asked. "Woah- very freaky."

"This... this could be me." Buffy said softly as Willow joined the confused sisters.

"It is you. Buffy, can't you remember at all?"

"No! I, I don't understand any of this! Uh, uh, this... This is some other girl! I would never wear this, that low apparel, and I don't like this place, and I don't like you, and I just wanna go home!"

"Seconded…apart from the low apparel part."

"You are home, both of you."

Buffy was almost in tears. Willow turned away losing her patience with the wimpy slayer. "She couldn't have dressed up like Xena?"

x?x

The guy, Xander, suddenly ran outside and then came back in dragging another girl behind him.

"Cordelia!" Willow exclaimed.

"What's going on?" The newcomer- apparently named Cordelia- demanded.

"Okay, your name is Cordelia, you're not a cat, you're in high school, and we're your friends. Well, sort of."

"That's nice, Willow. And you went mental when?"

"You know us?"

"Yeah, lucky me. What's with the name game?"

"A lot's going on-" Willow started.

"No kidding. I was just attacked by Jo-Jo, the Dog-Faced Boy. Look at my costume! Do you really think that Partytown's gonna give me my deposit back? Not on the likely." She ranted still examining the ripped sleeve.

"Here." Xander draped his shirt around her shoulders

Cordelia looked at him pleasantly surprised. "Thanks."

"Okay. You guys stay here while I get some help. If something tries to get in, just fight it off." Willow said.

"Well, i-it's not our place to fight. Uh, surely some men will protect us."

Cordelia gestured to the blond former-slayer "What's that riff?"

"I-it's like amnesia, okay? They don't know who they are. Just sit tight." Willow left, walking through the wall behind Cordelia.

"Who died and made her the boss?"

"You! Check upstairs. Make sure everything's locked up." Xander ordered adding another chair to the barricaded door.

Buffy followed Xander into the living room. "Surely there's somewhere we can go. A safe haven."

"Lady said stay put."

"You would take orders from a woman? A-are you feeble in some way?"

"Ma'am, in the Army we have a saying: sit down and shut the... " He was distracted by a picture sitting on the table. " Whoa! She must be right. We must have some kind of amnesia."

"I don't know what that is, but I'm certain I don't have it. I bathe quite often!"

"It's a memory loss dummy!" Dawn injected with an eye roll- okay so at first the accent was funny, but after a while the whining started to get on your nerves.

"How else do you explain this?"

"I don't! I was brought up a proper lady. I-I wasn't meant to understand things. I'm just meant to look pretty, and then someone nice will marry me. Possibly a Baron."

"This ain't no tea party, princess. Sooner or later you're gonna have to fight!"

She crossed her arms stubbornly. "Fight these low creatures? I'd sooner die."

"Then you'll die." Xander said simply.

"What are they?" Dawn asked in a small voice.

He shrugged. "Demons or something. Whatever they are you seemed to be handling yourself before and we need every able body to fight them, alright kid?"

"I'm not a kid." She mumbled. Xander gave her a look that clearly said she wasn't seeing his point. Dawn felt something stir within her, something that felt familiar. "Okay, I'm in."

A dark haired man came in through the back door whom none of them recognised. "Oh, good! You guys are alright. It's total chaos out there."

The confused trio looked to each other and then back to the mysterious stranger. "Who are you?"

"Okay, somebody wanna fill me in?" Angel asked.

"Do you live here?"

"No, and you know that. Buffy, I'm lost here. You... What's up with your hair?"

"They don't know who they are, everyone's turned into a monster, it's a whole big thing. How are you?

The lights went out plunging them all into darkness. Buffy grabbed Cordelia in fright and she sighed in annoyance. "Do you mind?"

"You take the princess and the kid and secure the kitchen. Catwoman, you're with me."

"But I don't wanna go with you! I-I like the man with the musket!" Buffy cried as Dawn muttered "I'm not a kid" once more.

"C'mon." Angel took Buffy's arm and pushed Dawn in the right direction.

"Do you have a musket?" Buffy said hopefully.

Angel moved towards the open door. "I didn't leave that open."

As he looked around for an intruder, the basement door behind Buffy opened and a vampire attacked her.

"A stake!" Angel said as he wrestled the vampire off her.

"A what?"

"Get me a stake!"

Buffy looked around helplessly as Dawn tossed Angel a kitchen knife that was laying on the counter before running to slam the basement door on the other student-vampires trying to get in. "We have to get out of here."

She was so engrossed in her task that she didn't notice Angel turning towards them from his spot still on top of the vampire. Buffy did though and she saw his game face.

She screamed and ran out the back door.

"Buffy, no!"

But it was too late, Buffy had run out into the night all alone and currently helpless.

x?x

"Are you sure she came this way?" Dawn asked scanning the road side nervously.

"No." Angel admitted.

"She'll be okay." Cordelia tried to reassure him.

"Buffy would be okay. Whoever she is now, she's helpless. C'mon!"

Spike looked at the group of mini demons gathered around him "hear that somewhere out here is the sweetest meat you've ever tasted and all we have to do is find her first"

x?x

She'd ended up in an alley. Now there was a pirate in the alley. Things didn't really look good. Buffy turned to try and get away, but tripped over the dress she was wearing. The pirate threw her against a crate and moved to try and kiss her.

Xander ran up and tackled the pirate to the ground. They continued to fight as Angel, Cordelia and Dawn ran over.

"Buffy! Are you okay?"

Buffy yelped and hid away as she saw Angel.

"What's your deal? Take a pill!"

"He's, he's a vampire!"

"She's got this thing where she thinks... Uhhh, forget it. It's okay. Angel is a good vampire. He would never hurt you."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. He's our friend."

"Vampires don't have friends." Dawn said a bit viciously.

"I do." Angel said firmly. He smelt the slayer on her now. He'd have to be careful, not that she'd actually be able to stake him, but he'd hate to have to hurt her.

Xander finally managed to knock the pirate out. "It's strange, but beating up that pirate gave me a weird sense of closure."

"Guys!" A new voice called.

"Willow!"

"Guys, you gotta get inside." She said anxiously looking over her shoulder to where Spike and his gang were coming towards them.

Dawn looked at the rather large gang. "We can't take them all!"

"We need a triage!"

Angel pointed down the alley. "This way! Find an open warehouse."

Xander picked up his rifle again. "Ladies, we're on the move!"

Angel lifted Buffy into his arms and followed the others down the alley.

x?x

Angel kicked in the door of a warehouse. "Over here!"

"Check if there are any other ways in!" Xander closed the door again as the others secured any other exits.

The monsters arrived and started pounding on the door causing Buffy to cling to Cordelia again.

"Oh, faboo, more clinging."

Xander tried to stop the monsters from getting in, but he had no chance against the demon mob. Xander fired his gun at the monsters, but their super-strength gave them the necessary advantage to hold him still as his friends fought on.

Angel kicked one of the monsters into a stack of crates and another against the stone wall before several monsters simultaneously attacked him and managed to hold him.

Dawn went after Spike first; her instincts telling her that he were the leader and should be taken out.

"Hey, vamp!" Spike turned around only to receive a punch in the face.

"Bloody hell! There's another buggering slayer!" He exclaimed as a trail on blood trickled down from his nose. "Leave the fighting to the grown ups, kid."

"I don't know who you are or what you're talking about, but I am NOT a kid!" She punched him again, this time in the gut so he doubled over. Dawn moved behind him and kicked his ass so he nearly toppled over.

"I'm warning you, kid-" Spike started, but Dawn planted a kick in a particularly tender area so he was forced to stop.

Dawn giggled. Spikes eyes had crossed and he rolled about on the ground groaning. It was really quite comical.

Three of his minions moved in to capture Dawn.

They captured her easily, she may have had the strength and speed, but she had no idea how to use it and the only reason she'd got Spike was because she'd caught him off guard.

Spike got up from the ground slowly; he licked the blood from under his nose as he approached Dawn. "You'll pay for that you stupid little bint…but you're not the one I want. She's the one I want. The real slayer, no substitutes accepted."

Buffy tried to hide in a corner but it was no use. They were forced to watch as Spike approached the terrified Buffy.

"Look at you. Shaking. Terrified. Alone. Lost little lamb… I love it."

Angel struggled against the monsters holding him. "Buffy!"

Xander managed to shake one monster off and then punched the other in the   
face. He turned to where Spike had Buffy pinned up against the crates.

"Now that guy you can shoot." Willow said.

He grabbed his gun, but it had turned back into a toy rifle. "What the..."

"I'm scared! I want my mommy!" One of the newly returned children cried.

Spike looked over as his army of monsters turned into children but then  
remembered the slayer before him. He tried to yank her up by her hair, but  
only got a wig in his hands.

Buffy got up off the crate and smiled at him sweetly. "Hi, honey. I'm home."

She punched him in the gut and whacked him with a bit of pipe. "You know  
what? It's good to be me."

Spike didn't stand a chance. He soon made a hasty retreat, much to the  
slayers satisfaction.

Xander grinned and went over to his friend. "Hey, Buff. Welcome back."

"Yeah! You, too."

Cordelia approached them. "You guys remember what happened?"

"It was way creepy. It's like I was there, but I couldn't get out." Xander   
said.

"Yeah, I know the feeling. This outfit's totally skin-tight. "

"You okay?" Angel asked as he and Dawn joined the group.

"Yeah."

Dawn rolled her eyes at her sister's breathy voice and followed the couple  
out of the warehouse when Angel slung his arm around Buffy's shoulders.

Neither of them noticed the small girl following them and they didn't seem  
to hear the gagging sounds that had both Cordelia and Xander smirking.

x?x

Buffy entered her room wearing more comfortable clothing; Angel however  
looked distinctly uncomfortable at the questions being fired at him by the   
youngest Summers sister.

"Tada; just little old 20th-century me." She interrupted.

"Sure you're okay?" Dawn asked.

"I'll live. What about you- you don't have slayer healing."

"I'll live." Dawn mimicked. "Buff, chill- I'm fine."

"You did good tonight."

She perked up. "Really?"

"Well, not as good as I would have, but still okay."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm going to bed before you two go all  
mushy and make me throw up."

"Lovely." Buffy muttered as her sister left.

Dawn shut the door behind her smirking. Buffy had a boy in her room, after   
curfew. Their mom would kill her if she ever found out, that was definite  
blackmail material.

She heard Angel ask if Buffy was okay and shook her head in disgust. He was  
so boring, not like Xander. Xander was cool, and hot too…

x?x x?x x?x

That was harder than I thought it would be. Oh well, it's over. Please review (and don't forget to leave/send me you're email if you want to be informed about the story's progress)


	9. What's my Line?

**A Long Overdue Thanks to my WONDERFUL Reviewers.** The new rules mean I can't do responses, but thank you anyway.

**A/N: Updated in a bout of Christmas Cheer! **I wish I could say that this fic will be updated regularly, but I can't honestly make that promise. The next chapter will be up when it's up and I can't get it done any sooner.

**A/N 2:** The plan is for 'Ted' to come next followed by 'Surprise' and 'Passion'.

**CHAPTER 9: WHAT'S MY LINE?**

Angel squirmed uncomfortably under the little girl's attention. She'd been firing questions ever since she heard him climb through Buffy's window a half hour ago. He'd have to be stealthier in future.

"So do you, like, eat demon blood as well? And don't you ever feel bad about those poor little pigs whose gunk you're drinking? It's kinda gross don't you think?"

Buffy froze. Oh no, not again. She slung her bag through her bedroom window announcing her return from patrol. "What are you doing?"

"We were just talking, jeez Buffy, paranoid much?"

"No, talking with you is bad. It's exactly what I was afraid of. Out."

"Huh, no way, and you can't make me."

"Wanna bet? Slayer over here, remember?"

Dawn smirked. "You won't hurt me. Mom would kill you. That's if she doesn't kill you when she finds out that you left me all alone at night while she was away."

Buffy shrieked in irritation. "I have a frigging sacred duty to rid the world of evil! Besides, Angel was here."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure it would be a great comfort to our mother when I'm dead and you say- 'its okay mom, I left my pet vampire with her'. That'll make it all better."

"You know what, screw it." Buffy started towards Dawn as she tutted over her language.

Dawn kicked the air wildly as she was unceremoniously turfed out the room and into the hallway. "Hey what are you- oof! Buffy! I'll tell Mom!"

"There, much better." Buffy smiled at the uncomfortable vampire. "What's up?"

"Err aren't you worried she'll tell your mom?"

"I don't think she will really. So did you just stop by for some quality time with mister Gordo?"

Outside the door, Dawn gave up on trying to eavesdrop through two inches of solid pine and stomped into her own room, slamming the door as loudly as she possibly could.

**x?x**

"Buffy? I'm home! Hellooo?" Dawn slung her bag into the corner by the door and sighed in agitation. "Not again. Mom's gonna be sooo mad!"

A lot of kids would love being left home alone, but it really just made her nervous. She didn't know a great deal about Buffy's 'other life' as she was always chucked out the room when they started to discuss something interesting but what she did know scared her, especially when there was no Buffy or Mom around to protect her from whatever was going 'bump' that particular night.

**x?x**

She awoke the next day to banging on the door and shouting. Someone, or something, was trying to get in! Dawn ran into Buffy's room. It was empty- Buffy wouldn't have just left without waking her to let her know where she was going. But that would mean that Buffy hadn't come home. Something had happened to her!

Someone was coming up the stairs. "Buffy?" An unthreatening male voice called.

Thank God. "Xander?"

"Heya Dawnmeister. Where's big sis?"

"S-She's not here. What's happened to her?" There was a slight crack in her voice. She couldn't be dead could she?

Xander put his arm around the younger girl awkwardly. "Hey she'll be fine. She's got all those neat super powers and stuff. She's probably just hiding out somewhere."

"She wouldn't have left me. Something horrible' has happened, I know it." She flung her arms around Xander's waist.

"Hey, hey. None of that, she'll be fine- you'll see. Cordy's downstairs, do you wanna go see her?"

O-Okay." She sniffed.

"Great. I'm just gonna phone Giles…there's a phone in Buffy's room, right?"

"Yeah. Go ahead." She said before heading downstairs where Cordelia was talking to a man in a suit.

"Do you have anything in raisin? I know you wouldn't think so, but I'm both a winter and a summer."

"Hi Cordy, who's this?"

"Cosmetics salesman. Hey, you could do with a little blush. Do you have anything that would look good on her?"

"Nine ninety-nine, tax included." The man said monotonously.

"You said that already. Do you have anything in the berry family?"

"Are there more ladies in the house?" The man said.

Dawn watched in horror as a worm crawled out from under his hairline and down his neck. "Err Cordy!"

"Sssh. Oh, no, they're not home. You know, nothing personal, but maybe you should look into selling dictionaries, or... some..."

Another mealworm crawled out of his sleeve and onto his hand.

Xander jumped the last couple of stairs and came up behind Cordelia. "Hey, what's up?"

"Um, he's a salesman, and he was just leaving, right? Uh, okay! Buh-bye! Thank you!" She said panicked.

Xander grabbed him by the arm to guide him out. "Okay, Mary Kay, time to..." A third worm crawled into his ear. "Time to run!"

He broke into a run grabbing Dawn and Cordelia with him as the salesman transformed into a mass of mealworms that started crawling after them. They ducked into the basement and slammed the door behind them.

Dawn sighed in relief, until she realized that the worms were still coming under the door. She screamed and ran to the other side of the basement as Xander and Cordelia stomped on them

"Dawn! Find something to cover the crack under the door!"

Dawn rummaged through the shelves behind her. "Here!" she tossed him a roll of duct tape, not daring to go any closer to the door.

"Cover me!" He handed Cordelia a broom as he covered the crack under the door.

Dawn watched in awe as Xander haphazardly stuck down the tape. "You saved us!" She said breathily.

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, by trapping us in the only room with only one exit. Nice going smart-ass."

Xander glared at her as Dawn continued to look on wide eyed.

**x?x**

Xander's eyes followed Cordelia as she paced up and down. "Could you sit down, or change your pattern or something? You're making me queasy."

"You're just sitting there. You should be thinking up a plan."

"I have a plan. We wait. Buffy saves us."

"If she's not dead." Dawn added.

"Buffy doesn't die- if she dies then they'll be no one to make my life a demony hell anymore. What I'm worried about is us. How will she even know where to find us?"

"Cordelia, this is Buffy's house. Odds are she'll find us."

"Well, what if she doesn't? What am I supposed to do? Just waste away down here with you and baby-Buffy? No thank you!"

"Hey!" 'Baby-Buffy' was quite possibly her least favorite nickname.

Xander jumped up. "What are you doing?"

"Going to see if he's gone!"

"That's brilliant! What if he isn't?"

"We're gonna die." Dawn said quietly.

Cordelia carried on yelling at Xander, totally ignoring Dawn. "Oh, right! You think we should just slack here and hope that somebody else **decides **to be a hero? Sorry, forgot I was stranded with a LOSER!"

"And yet I never forgot that I'm stuck with the numb-brain that let Mr. Mutant in the house in the FIRST PLACE!"

"HE LOOKED NORMAL!"

"What, is he supposed to have an arrow with the word 'assassin' over his head! All it took was the prospect of a free makeover, and you licked his hand like a big, dumb dog!"

"We're _definitely_ gonna die." Dawn muttered as she went to investigate the shelves in the basement, looking for anything that might help. She dimly heard Cordy and Xander keep on arguing in the background.

All she could find was a couple of water pistols, but every little helps right? She turned back to Xander and Cordelia. They'd stopped arguing and were staring at each other in shock. Was it her imagination or were they out of breath?

"I found these." She offered.

Xander snapped out of his trance. "We need to get outta here. Come on Dawn."

"Mm-hm!" Cordelia nodded in agreement.

She rushes up the stairs with Xander right behind them. At the top, Dawn paused but continued right on when Xander smiled reassuringly. Xander ripped the tape from the bottom of the door.

"There aren't any worms." Dawn said relieved.

Cordelia looked out into the hall. "He's gone."

"We're clear." Xander whispered as he peeked into the dining room before making a dash for the front door with Dawn right behind him.

Cordelia went to follow the other two, but the moment she stepped into the hall worms starting falling on her from the ceiling. She screamed, running out the door. "Xander, oh my God! Get them off of me!"

"Here!" Dawn started spraying her with the water pistol and Xander ran for the hose.

Cordelia spun around in the water, trying to brush the worms off. "Get 'em off of me! Oh, my God, get 'em off me!" She screamed.

"Okay, okay, let's get outta here! Xander, let's go!" Xander kept spraying her, much to Dawn's amusement. "Xander! Let's go!"

The trio jumped into the car and they were off in a screech of tires.

**x?x**

"Why are we going to the library?" Dawn asked as she was hurried down Sunnydale High's hallways.

"Giles is there." Was Xander's explanation.

"And…?"

"He'll know what to do." Xander said certainly.

When they walked in the library a girl whom Dawn didn't know stepped in front of them.

"Down, girl!"

"Buffy! You're alive!" Dawn leapt forward to her sister. "Mom's gonna kill you."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Dawn."

"Who sponsored career day today? The British Soccer Fan Association?" Xander quipped.

"We had a, a rather violent visit from the Order of Taraka." Giles said as he sat down at the table.

"You wanna talk Order of Taraka? We just met the king freakof the... Hello." He smiled at the new girl, who looked at the floor under the attention.

"Oh, forgive me. Uh, Xander, Cordelia, this is Kendra. Uh, i-it's rather complicated, but she's also a Slayer."

"Hi. Nice to meet you." Cordelia said whilst smoothing over her hair.

Dawn scrunched up her nose in confusion. "I thought you were the slayer? As in the-one-and-only, look-at-me-I'm-so-special slayer?"

Xander nodded in agreement. "I knew this 'I'm the only one, I'm the only one' thing was just an attention-getter."

Dawn giggled.

Buffy hopped off the desk. "Just say hello, Xander. Dawnie, come."

Dawn rolled her eyes, but followed her older sister anyway. "Dawnie come, sit. Dawn roll over! I'm not a dog you know."

"I know Dawn." Buffy said absent mindedly. "Look, I have lots and lots of work to do."

"I could help!" The young girl said eagerly.

"No!" She softened at her sister's expression. "Look, this is really important. Angel could be in trouble so I would really appreciate if you could just sit really quietly over there while we figure out what to do, please."

Dawn sighed. She never got to do anything fun. "Okay."

"Thank you."

"Xander, un, this assassin you encountered, what did he look like?"

"Totally gross!" Dawn injected, but no one paid her any attention as Cordelia screamed and threw one of the worms down on the table.

"Uhh! Ohmigod, I'm showering!" She said as she ran from the library.

Xander held back a smirk and pointed at the wriggling worm. "Like that."

"You and bug people, Xander. What's up with that?"

Dawn glared at her sister. Why did she always have to be so mean? Especially to Xander and after he practically saved her life and everything!

**x?x**

Dawn sat on the table, swinging her legs so that they tapped against the table. Buffy was grinding her teeth next to her and she knew it. Some might say that it isn't wise to purposely piss off a slayer, but Dawn didn't care. She'd only wanted to help, even if it was only by looking at dusty old books, but no she was too young and delicate.

And what was the deal with this Angel guy? Wasn't he meant to be super strong? And if he's Drusilla's sire or whatever, shouldn't he be stronger than her? And yet, despite the super strength, he managed to get himself kidnapped for some ritual in a church that could get everyone killed. Of course Buffy wasn't worried about that. It was all Angel, Angel, Angel. Pathetic.

"Angel? But our priority is to stop Drusilla!" Kendra protested.

At least someone has their priorities straight!

"Angel's our friend! Except that I don't like him." Xander said.

'You know,' Dawn thought, 'Xander's right. Angel might be a stupid vampire, but he's our stupid vampire. Well, Buffy's stupid vampire technically, because Xander and I don't like him. We have so much in common!'

Buffy turned to Kendra. "Look, you've got your priorities, and I've got mine. Right now they mesh. So, are you gonna help me, or are you gonna get out of my way?"

Kendra considered it. "I'm with you."

"Good. 'Cause I've had it. Spike is going down. You can attack me, you can send assassins after me, that's fine. But nobody messes with my boyfriend!"

**x?x**

"Can I help?"

Giles nearly dropped his book as his slayer's younger sister jumped out in front of him.

"I'm alright thank you Dawn. Uh, Buffy said that she would rather you not get involved."

"I'm the slayers sister, you can't get more involved." Dawn whined. "Do you always do what Buffy tells you?"

"Actually yes." He said with a bit of a dopey smile.

That threw her for six. "Well… take a walk on the wild side for once!"

"I uh, actually I agree with Buffy. There are some rather frightening demons within these pages and I would hate for one of them to be the cause of your nightmares."

By the time Dawn had figured out what he'd actually said, Giles had already moved on to talk to Willow.

Giles read the webpage over her shoulder, taking out a roll of mints and starting to unwrap them. **"**There are forty-three churches in Sunnydale? That seems a little excessive."

"It's the extra evil vibe from the Hellmouth. Makes people pray harder." Willow replied, smiling her thanks as she took one of his mints.

"Well, check and see if any of them are closed or abandoned. Xander, have you found anything?"

Xander looked up from his books as Giles came over. "Yeah, yeah, we got monsters; we got demons; but no bug dude or police lady."

"I could help!" Dawn piped up, but she was ignored as Giles gave Xander the book he'd been looking at.

"Well, you should have better luck with this one. There's a whole section devoted to the Order of Taraka."

"What am I invisible?" Dawn huffed, getting no answer. "Of course I am. I might as well not exist for all the attention everyone pays me!"

Xander looked up from where he was flipping through the pages of his book"Oh, here we go! I am the bug man, coo coo ka choo.Okay. Okay. He can only be killed when he's in his disassembled state. Disassembled. That means when he's broken down into his little buggy parts."

Cordelia glared at him. "I know what it means, _dorkhead_."

"Dorkhead! You slash me with your words!"

Giles rubbed his eyes. Willow raised her eyebrows at them.

"So what now?" Dawn asked.

"I have another book in my office that may be of some use."

"On it!" Xander offered, jumping up and heading into the office. He returned a moment later. "The new chick's really weird."

Giles open the book and went to a page from memory. "Here it is."

"We're going to check out Willie's. He knows something and he _will_ tell us what it is." Buffy said as she and Kendra came back into the main library. "Dawn-"

"I know, I know. Stay here."

**x?x**

"So Kendra's gone?" Dawn asked, reaching for another handful of crisps.

"Yep. Put her on a plane this morning."

"She was weird."

Buffy shrugged. "She was just…dedicated."

"So dedicated that she's leaving the hellmouth?"

"In my capable hands."

Dawn snorted. "Whatever."

"Hey! I'm a great slayer!"

"Yeah, if you can tear yourself away from Angel long enough to kill the bad guys."

"Again, hey! And I'd like to see you do better."

"Well duh! I'm eleven and I don't have any superpowers. I'd be killed in a week! But you don't have any excuses."

Buffy's eyes glinted dangerously. "You could die sooner than that."

"Oh yeah, pick on a poor defenseless little kid. That takes guts."

Buffy's eyes continued sparkling as she picked up the pillow off her bed and threw it at her sister.

"Hey!" Dawn retaliated with a cushion of her own and it escalated into a full blown pillow fight.

Within seconds Buffy, slayer of vampires, and her sister were both covered in white feathers. If only the demons could see her now, with feathers sticking out of her hair in all directions, they'd see how scary she really was.

As long as you don't mess with her boyfriend.

**x?x x?x x?x x?x x?x x?x**

**x?x x?x x?x x?x x?x x?x**

I'll try and get the next chapter up in the next month or so. Please review, if there's anyone out there still reading- me thinks I need the inspiration!

MERRY CHRISTMAS


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